CNU Architectural Ages: Age Three (1996 – 2001)

Ferguson Center for the Arts

Center for the Arts [Plan unveiled] (1997)

Wingfield, Smith Library, & McMurran [Renovation - Aesthetic] (1999)
 James River Hall (2000)

Freeman Center (2001)

Stadium [Phase 1] (2001)

Ratcliffe Hall [Renovation & Addition] (2001)

Ferguson Center for the Arts [Phase 1] (2004)

Ferguson Center for the Arts [Phase 2] (2005)

“We are trying to take a kind-of pretty campus and make it breathtakingly beautiful. We are really creating a masterpiece.”
                    - Paul Trible, March 1997[40]

The Third Architectural Age of the now-named Christopher Newport University (CNU) began when Paul Trible, Jr. became CNU’s fifth president in 1996. Trible attracted prospective students and state delegates by painting “word pictures” of what he envisioned the university to become. After successfully raising state funding, Trible could start to make those words a reality.

CNU had consistently enrolled over 4.5k students every year since the late 1980’s. It had outgrown many of its original facilities and needed modernization. With the introduction of its first residence hall, it had also started pivoting from a commuter campus to a residential one, requiring different infrastructure needs. The building projects during Age Three focused on solving those needs with the largest impact. “These initial construction projects, and the sequence in which they were built, were crucial to jump-start the new Christopher Newport University, putting it on the path to what it is today,” explained William L. Brauer, Executive Vice President of CNU during almost all of Trible’s tenure. The previously established styles of Age One and Two would not be adhered to. This was the beginning of a new, fresh, rebranded, state-of-the-art Christopher Newport University. Trible was taking the college in a new direction, and that would be reflected in the architecture.[41]

The buildings designed and built during Age Three all had different shapes and architects. What did tie these buildings together were their design elements, their themes, and their chief influence: the Center for the Arts.

Ferguson Center beauty shot

The plan for the Center for the Arts (now known as the Ferguson Center for the Arts) was unveiled March 1997, crafted by the world-famous architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. The Ferguson Center would take the former Ferguson High School and renovate it into classrooms, offices, a black box theater, and backstage support spaces. Added onto each end of the building would be two new proscenium theater spaces in a modern contemporary style. A curving 2-story concrete colonnade would be built in front of the high school to unify and connect the entire building together. The theater lobbies would feature wide floor-to-ceiling windows, skylights, impressive staircases, and marble floors. The exterior featured bricks with a subtle indented line pattern, curves, striking angles, and a glass tower that lit up at night. It was going to be (and still is) a landmark building for the university and Newport News.[42]

Diamonstein Concert Hall Lobby

Diamonstein Concert Hall

Peebles Theater Lobby

From the Ferguson Center plan, all other buildings in this Age embraced similar modern architectural choices. The Freeman Center had previously been designed during Age Two. When the plans were brought back under Trible, he added “a brick façade, a tall-square tower, and wide windows” to its design, specifically to complement with the future Center for the Arts. These features also continued in the other Age Three buildings. Other repeated design elements included flat roofs, visible structural steel, and skylights.[43]

Freeman Center Concept Art
Credit: Architectural drawing published in CNU Alumni Magazine (Fall 2000)

1/3 of the Freeman's field house, set up for basketball

Openness and visibility were very big themes introduced to campus in this Age. CNU had previously lacked much visibility – figuratively and literally. Its front entrance was off Shoe Lane, a side road to the busier Warwick Boulevard. A series of businesses were along Warwick’s roadway, blocking any ground view of the college. It also didn’t help that almost all the college’s buildings sat low to the ground. CNU’s new buildings would rise above the businesses of Warwick. At the same time, these businesses started to be bought up and demolished for the school’s/Warwick Boulevard’s lane expansion.[44]

Aerial of Christopher Newport University, 2001
Credit: Christopher Newport University

Newer buildings addressed openness and visibility by including lots of glass windows and skylights. During the day, natural light could enter buildings. At night, buildings could be lit up from inside to add an extra layer of theatrics and flair to the outside. Older buildings also saw some changes. Some architectural elements on Age One buildings – long entrance overhangs, closed-in breezeways – now felt “dark, closed off, or uninviting.” Wingfield, McMurran, Ratcliffe, and Smith Library all saw their entrances reworked toward this aim.[45]

James River Hall, c. early 2000's
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Ratcliffe Hall, renovated into a two-story classroom.
A glass tower now marks its entrance.

Hallway in the Freeman Center

Age Three was CNU’s shortest age, featuring only five construction projects over five years. A new president and administration looking to lay the groundwork for a brighter future. This was the direction campus was going architecturally. Until it wasn’t anymore…



LANDSCAPE

Landscaping became an important asset to cultivate in Age Three. Trible reintroduced a permanent grounds department to improve campus’ haphazard look. Oak trees were planted, grass was kept green, and shrubs and flowerbeds encircled buildings. Concrete aggregate walkways started to be replaced with ones made of brick.[46]

Plants and gardens around the Science Building, post-1996
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

A brick path with spiral shrubs, trees, and plenty of benches
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Some criticized that all the money CNU paid towards landscaping would be better spent towards academics. But Trible argued that by making the campus environment look better, it would encourage students to do their best and attract more prospective students. The landscaping played its part along with Trible’s other changes – more applications started to be submitted.[47]

The best-known landscaping project of the period was Saunders Plaza. A vast green oval was formed in the courtyard created by the Admin Building, Smith Library, Wingfield, and McMurran Hall. In the middle was a fountain with a flying geese sculpture by Turner Sculpture. The lawn, its low brick walls, and its central location made the plaza a favored outdoor space for eating, studying, and lounging.[48]

Saunders Plaza
In the background is McMurran Hall without its breezeway
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Close-up on the Saunders Plaza fountain
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Saunders Plaza kicked out The Ships memorial that had previously been in that courtyard. The memorial was moved to behind Santoro. Student groups were initially allowed to spray paint & tag it for advertisement. After some controversy over graffitiing the sculpture, The Captain’s Log quoted Trible as saying “They’re ugly, painting [The Ships] can only make them better.” The University’s official response later changed to that The Ships would “be cleaned and then left alone because it will be a memorial.”[49]



NAMES

Age Three set the basic name policy followed under Trible for the main campus. Residence Halls were named after Virginian rivers. In this Age, James River Hall was named after the James River. Academic and gathering-type buildings were named after individuals or businesses that gave money to the University. The Freeman Center was named for the Freeman family as thanks for their $1 million donation towards the Center for the Arts, the largest donation to the University at that time.

There was one name change – the Campus Center became the Student Center in 1996. This was to reiterate CNU’s new motto that it was a “Students First” school.[50]



EXTRAS

This Age marks the creation of the three musketeers of campus architecture during the Trible years: Paul Trible, Jr., Rosemary Trible, and William “Bill” Brauer. Paul Trible was the overall leader/visionary, with his focus mainly being on the exteriors of the buildings. Rosemary Trible was the interior designer. Every color, fabric, and furniture piece was curated under her watchful eye. Bill Brauer was Executive Vice President of the University. He oversaw the capital projects and led the day-to-day construction operations.[51]

The Ferguson Center’s design was unveiled in 1997. Due to its high cost, raising enough funds delayed the project’s completion to 2005. This makes it the only building constructed outside of its Age.

Pei Cobb Freed and Partners wanted to do a project in Virginia “because of the aesthetic and practical challenge of reconciliating the colonial history of Virginia and a bold sense of the future.”[52]

I have previously wrote extensively about the Ferguson Center in the following posts: The History of the Ferguson, What Remains of Ferguson High School?, and Ferguson: The Cuts, the Extras, and MORE! Check them out after this series.

Unbuilt Age Three Library Idea: “Trible said he envisions a renovated library built with a lot of glass, giving it a “very transparent look.” “When lit in the evening it would invite people to enter,” he said. “It will add a dramatic new look to the face of our campus and will powerfully transform and enrich the academic life of the university.” ”[53]

Ratcliffe Hall's entrance at night

When the East Campus development was announced, the idea of connecting it to the main campus with a pedestrian bridge was briefly considered. The tied-arch Zubizuri Footbridge in Bilbao, Spain was used as an example in the Daily Press and The Captain’s Log of what it could to look like. This particular bridge was probably chosen because the architect, Santiago Calatrava, was partnered with the architectural firm DMJM Design, which designed Age Three’s campus master plan. Calatrava has since gone on to work on other major world projects, including New York World Trade Center’s Oculus Transportation Hub.[54]



Next: CNU Architectural Ages: Age Four (2002 - 2009)

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[40] Miller, Kimberly “CNU’s grand plan,” Daily Press, 17 August 1997.
[41] “Trible talks about past, present, future,” The Captain’s Log, 6 December 1999; Hamilton, Phillip, Serving the Old Dominion: A History of Christopher Newport University 1958-2011, First ed., University Press, 2011; Brauer, William L “Building a World-Class University,” Voyages, Summer 2022.
[42] Jelonek, A.J. “The History of the Ferguson,” History Scout, 18 May 2022.
[43] Hamilton, Phillip, Serving the Old Dominion: A History of Christopher Newport University 1958-2011, First ed., University Press, 2011.
[44] Ibid.
[45] Daggett, Jessica “Campus makes constructive use of vacation time,” The Captain’s Log, Summer 1999; Zellers, Dave “Campus torn up over construction,” The Captain’s Log, 19 April 1999.
[46] Hamilton, Phillip, Serving the Old Dominion: A History of Christopher Newport University 1958-2011, First ed., University Press, 2011.
[47] Ibid.
[48] Zellers, Dave “Campus torn up over construction,” The Captain’s Log, 19 April 1999.
[49] Zagursky, Erin A “Ships run aground: new organization, students clash over memorial,” The Captain’s Log, 29 November 1999.
[50] DiGorgio, Karen “A Rose is a Rose is a Rose,” The Captain’s Log, 12 November 1996.
[51] Holmes, H. Randolph, See the Dome: Exclusive Campus Tour of Christopher Newport University, 2 June 2018 [lecture and campus tour]; Brauer, William L “Building a World-Class University,” Voyages, Summer 2022.
[52] Vaughn, Ellen, Crazy as Hell: The Story of the Transformation of Christopher Newport University, University Press, 2022.
[53] “News about CNU Library ‘wows students, faculty,” Daily Press, 31 January 2001.
[54] Barrett, Stephanie “CNU jumping Warwick,” Daily Press, 21 February 2001; Spain, Hugh “CNU to expand across Warwick,” The Captain’s Log, 27 February 2001; N.a. “Governors Pataki and McGreevey: Renowned Architect Santiago Calatrava to present design for World-class Transportation Hub at Wolf Trade Center Site on January 22,” 7 January 2004, https://www.panynj.gov/port-authority/en/press-room/press-release-archives/2004_press_releases/governors_patakiandmcgreeveyrenownedarchitectsantiagocalatravato.html.

CNU Architectural Ages: Age Two (1976 – 1996)

Aerial View of Christopher Newport's campus mid-90's
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Service Building (1979)

Smith Library [Addition] (1979)

Administration Building (1980)

Campus Center [Addition] (1983)

Campus Center [Renovation (of older sections)] (1984)

Science Building (1984)

McMurran, Gosnold, & Wingfield [Additions (elevator)] (1989)

Carol and Anthony Santoro Hall (1994)

Harbor Lights Dining Hall (1994)

Smith Library [Addition] (1994)

Cazares Greenhouse [Addition] (1995)

Science Building [Renovation] (1996)

Age Two was marked by many high points -- the college's independence from William & Mary in 1977, becoming a university in 1992, and the creation of the campus’ first residence hall. It is a time marked by the growth of programs and enrollment, leading to a growth of facilities. It’s also marked by some low points -- CNC regularly receiving the lowest amount of money per student from the state budget, and later on a strained relationship with the Virginia General Assembly.[22]

The Second Age of Christopher Newport College’s architecture stayed pretty similar to its first in that building projects during this period were either expansions of already-existing buildings or one-off projects. Every project stayed contextual to what had already been built. However, there were differing degrees and approaches. Most of the differences came from the tastes of whomever the current president was, or whatever architectural trends were currently in vogue when the project was designed.

Campus Center Addition under construction
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Due to their similarity in style, where Age One ended and Age Two started is not easily defined. There was a lull in campus construction between 1973 and 1979. I chose 1976 as the point as that was the year Forrest Coile, Jr. died.[23] Forrest Coile & Associates would continue to design the next few projects for CNC, but they would not strictly adhere to the design style set out by Coile, Jr.

CNC's Service Building
(The Freeman Center now occupies the land where this building once stood) 
Courtesy of CNU Department of Alumni Relations

Some select projects from this period:

The Administration Building (1980), while using the same building materials as those in Age One, had more in common with office parks than pagodas. It featured four stories of brick, lines of windows along the front and back elevations, and a flat roof. Slanted metal roofs added mid-level interest to the otherwise bare façade. The four stories of windowless brick and slate walls rose above the side entryways, creating an imposing feeling akin to brutalist buildings.

Front view of the Administration Building, 2011

Side and back view of the Administration Building, 1990
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Stairs in the Admin Building, 2013

Anderson Auditorium in the Admin Building, 2013

The Science Building (1984) was a rectangular, flat-roofed building with two levels of outdoor wraparound walkways around its indoor rooms. While very utilitarian, it featured some eccentric design choices. It featured nonstructural brick panels, metal shades and rails, circular brick and concrete columns, and outdoor staircases housed between pairs of brick wall sheets. On the balconies, there were openings in the railing similar to the vent openings found on Gosnold and Newport Halls. The outdoor walkways became an issue during the wintertime, when paths would become slippery from ice. The Science Building would eventually be enclosed in the mid 90’s. Much of its eccentricities were removed. The outside became brick, windows, and unadorned concrete pediments.

Science Building c. 1985-1994
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

In 1994, CNU opened both the Carol K. and Anthony R. Santoro Residence Hall & Harbor Lights Dining Hall. Santoro Hall was a four-story U-shaped brick building. Harbor Lights was a one-story brick dining hall shaped like two connected offset squares. While the complex was fairly plain and monochromatic, it did borrow and allude to many of the features used in the Age One buildings. Harbor Lights was a modern take on Age One’s attached blockhouses, with a covered walkway connection to Santoro, a concrete border along the top of its walls, and featured cantilevered diamond hipped roofs (Santoro also had one decorative diamond hipped roof that was dismantled in 2011). It also had study room windows that resembled the window pattern on Age One buildings. Inside, Santoro continued its utilitarian setup with cinder blocks, linoleum tile, and brick. Harbor Lights was much the same but received some light décor in the way of tiled wave patterns on the walls.

Santoro Hall and Harbor Lights (right), in the later stages of construction
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

LANDSCAPE

"Christopher Newport College Quad is a favorite spot for students
and Hampton Roads community alike. Located in the center of Newport News,
the college's peaceful landscape offers a park-like setting in the city's hub."
Looking from the Admin Building towards the Ellipse.
Smith Hall is to the left, Newport Hall is to the right.
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

In 1980, a schematic landscape plan was developed by CNC’s Buildings and Grounds Committee. It would design around the existing landscaping already in place, with focus on major campus vistas, plazas, and gateways. The aim, much like Age One, was for a “naturalistic” look.[24] Large-scale projects, designed by the Buildings and Grounds Committee, organized the grounds around large outdoor congregating spaces. Smaller projects, perennial gardens, and flowerbeds around campus were designed by faculty and students in the horticulture program. Landscaping maintenance was handled by a small staff. Due to budget cuts in the 1990’s, the staff was let go. Outside contractors were hired to continue maintenance, but there was a noted overall decline in quality.[25]

CNC Schematic Landscape Plan, 1980
From the November 13, 1980 edition of The Captain's Log

Tree-filled area
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

A path
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

The Cazares Greenhouse continued to get plenty of use throughout this Age. The fiberglass panels were replaced with glass ones in 1985, and in 1995 the building was expanded. Biology students used it to grow a wide variety of plants to test their adaptability to the tidewater region. The plants that successfully adapted were then planted around campus.[26]

Greenhouse, date unknown (possibly during Age Three)
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

The reoccurring Polis Pond and Windsor Lake were finally dealt with. When the Administration Building was constructed, drainage on campus was reconfigured so that it would properly work. Parts of campus still had the potential to create bodies of water (and did), but it happened with much less regularity.[27]

Tree in the middle of a path
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Some special landscaping projects of note:

- Dolly Sherman, a cataloguer in the Smith Library, initiated the creation of a Japanese garden. It was completed in a small courtyard behind the library in 1983.[28]

- In memory of Forrest Coile, Jr., his architectural firm gifted the college three abstract steel sculptures collectively entitled The Ships. The sculptures were placed on campus in the early 1980’s surrounded in a courtyard by many of the buildings Coile, Jr. designed: Newport Hall, Wingfield Hall, and Smith Library. The sculptures represented the three ships chartered to establish the Jamestown Colony: Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. This was the first permanent outdoor art on campus. It was met with many perplexed and mixed reactions.[29]

The Ships sculptures in front of Wingfield Hall
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

- For a 1988 National Gallery of Art Japanese exhibit, a reproduction 17th century teahouse was built in Washington, DC. After the exhibit ended, it was given to the Commonwealth of Virginia, which in turn gave it to CNC. CNC was chosen because it had recently started a Japanese Studies Program. The teahouse was rebuilt on campus in 1989, set in a wooded area west of the main entrance (present day Parking Lot M). The sōan-style teahouse was regularly open and held tea ceremonies for students and the Newport News community.[30]

Japanese Teahouse and Garden at CNC
Courtesy of the CNU Archives 

- In 1990, the Biology department sought to protect a section of woods close to the center of campus, directly behind Wingfield Hall. These woods featured short, wandering pathways and a group meeting space amid the trees. The department wished to have it declared “an outdoor extension of the Biology classroom building, to be used for teaching and research purposes,” the CNC Chronicle reported. “This area still bears the remnants of the plow furrows that were left when the field was abandoned and, therefore, represents a classic example of old field succession, a very important concept in teaching ecology and a very rare find on a college campus. The large pine tree, an old boundry [sic] tree with its different growth form, provides evidence of the importance of the environment in plant growth.”[31] In honor of longtime Biology Professor Dr. Edward Spencer Wise, the woods were christened the Wise Woods on Earth Day 1990. A permanent moratorium on cutting trees was placed on the woods by the Board of Visitors, so that they would always remain.[32]

The Wise Woods, Fall 2010

- The lawn bordered by Gosnold, the Campus Center, McMurran, and the Science Building became known as the Great Lawn in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s. This was where outdoor commencement and other large events took place.[33]



NAMES

Building names during this period were mostly named for their purpose. The Science Building dealt with scientific matters. The Administration Building housed the school’s administration offices. Only two buildings were named after individuals, to honor their above-and-beyond service to the college. Lewis Archer McMurran, Jr. was seen as the father figure for the school, so the Board of Visitors renamed Christopher Newport Hall to McMurran Hall in 1986. This was not without controversy, as some students and faculty wished one of the utilitarian-named buildings had been given this name, instead of choosing an already-named building. The other building was Santoro Hall, named after Carol and Anthony Santoro, the fourth president of the school and his first lady.[34]

Harbor Lights continued the trend of nautical-themed dining establishment names on campus (i.e. Christopher’s, The Wheelhouse Pub (later renamed The Terrace), and the Admiralty Room).[35]



EXTRAS

Before the Administration Building was built, CNC was facing a space crunch. To ease needs, 12 temporary trailers were rented. Most sat between Newport Hall and the Cazares Greenhouse. The remaining ones surrounded Ratcliffe. They were as attractive as trailers could be. The grouping was nicknamed “Windsor Village” and “The Windsor Trailer Park” after then-President James Windsor.[36]

Windsor Trailer Park
From the August 22, 1978 edition of The Captain's Log

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 became the first accessibility civil rights law in the United States, which required federally-funded institutions to start improving their facilities to be more accessible for all individuals. Christopher Newport College had limited accessibility for most of its buildings. Throughout this Age, improvements were made to increase access. Campus pathways were redone with exposed aggregate concrete. All new buildings built in this age were built with elevators. Older buildings were renovated with ramps, elevators, and other infrastructure changes. The library received its first elevator with its 1979 expansion, while the academic buildings had theirs installed in 1989.[37]

Backside of the Gosnold elevator and elevated walkway addition

The McMurran breezeway was converted into office space – campus seemed to never have enough office or parking space.[38]

Quoting this 1995 Denbigh Gazette article verbatim because it’s great just the way it is: “No story about the CNU campus landscape would be complete without an update on the banana trees. ‘The banana trees will be out shortly,’ said the horticulture professor [Dr. David Bankes] who stores them in the greenhouse for safe keeping during the winter. Have they ever born any fruit? ‘They have produced fruit that matured only after harvesting,’ said Bankes. Somewhat unusual to this area’s vegetation, the broad leafed trees have become an important visual memory in the college’s collage of memories that many students, graduates and faculty hold dear.”[39]

I’ve previously written about the Administration Building.

The Science Building was the most troubled building ever built at Christopher Newport College, so much so that this fun fact grew too long and warranted its own post!

Science Building, c. 1985-1994
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Next: CNU Architectural Ages: Age Three (1996 – 2001) 

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[22] Hamilton, Phillip, Serving the Old Dominion: A History of Christopher Newport University 1958-2011, First ed., University Press, 2011; Mazzarella, Mario D. “Opinion: Trible inherited a school in better shape than portrayed,” Daily Press, 16 June 2022, https://www.dailypress.com/opinion/vp-ed-column-mazzarella-0617-20220616-ftnkh6pdc5byhfj7xyo4sck3de-story.html
[23] Robertson, Marianne “Coile Is Shot To Death, Estranged Wife Charged,” Daily Press, 13 July 1976.
[24] Nuckols, Patricia A “College develops Schematic Landscape Plan for future,” The Captain’s Log, 13 November 1980.
[25] Hamilton, Phillip, Serving the Old Dominion: A History of Christopher Newport University 1958-2011, First ed., University Press, 2011; Seabrook, Suellen “CNU greenhouse ‘grows’,” Denbigh Gazette, 4-10 May 1995; Loepp, Donald “Professor tends garden for all seasons,” Daily Press, 6 November 1986
[26] Seabrook, Suellen “CNU greenhouse ‘grows’,” Denbigh Gazette, 4-10 May 1995; Chambers, A. Jane “Memories of CNC’s Super Superintendent: Mike Cazares,” CNC First Decaders, 7 March 2014, http://www.cncfirstdecaders6171.com/websitearchives/firstdecadehistory.html
[27] Bauer, F. Samuel “Remembering Lake Windsor and Polis Pond,” CNC First Decaders, http://www.cncfirstdecaders6171.com/websitearchives/seconddecadehistory.html
[28] Ward, Rose M “Landscape Class Turns Japanese Garden Dream Into Reality,” The Captain’s Log, 8 September 1983.
[29] CNC Admissions Office, 2.1 C Admissions Viewbook 1990-1991, SAIL – Smart Archiving for Institutional Learning, https://sail.cnu.edu/omeka/files/original/572e7b4cf0e299654077a669f56fdac5.pdf; CNC Yearbook Club, The Captain 1989, Herff Jones; Heuvel, Sean M., The Campus History Series: Christopher Newport University, Arcadia Publishing, 2009; Chambers, A. Jane, “CNC’s First Shoe Lane Building: Christopher Newport Hall,” CNC First Decaders, 27 April 2018, http://www.cncfirstdecaders6171.com/websitearchives/firstdecadehistory.html; N.a. “The three what!?!?,” The Captain’s Log, 13 November 1980.
[30] Sister Cities of Newport News “Swallow’s Rest – The Ennan Teahouse,” 3 March 2020, www.sistercities-nn.com/ennan-teahouse.html; Goodhart, R. Robert “University Seeks Assistance with Relocation of Kitayama Teahouse,” JGarden: the Japanese garden database, http://www.jgarden.org/features.asp?ID=90.
[31] Cones, Harold “To the Buildings and Grounds Committee,” CNC Chronicle, 12 March 1990, https://chris.cnu.edu/item/1531
[32] Cones, Harold “Dr. E. Spencer Wise: Colleague, Mentor, Close Friend,” CNC First Decaders, 29 March 2013, http://www.cncfirstdecaders6171.com/websitearchives/yourmemories.html; College Press Service “CNC adds to list of Earth Day Projects,” The Captain’s Log, 12 April 1990; Fellowes, Robert “4.3 E-1 Memorandum – Petition of the Biology Department,” SAIL – Smart Archiving for Institutional Learning, 26 February 1990, https://sail.cnu.edu/omeka/items/show/15308.
[33] Tape-A-Quarter Classifieds, The Captain’s Log, 12 April 1990.
[34] Hamilton, Phillip, Serving the Old Dominion: A History of Christopher Newport University 1958-2011, First ed., University Press, 2011; Letters to the Editor, The Captain’s Log, 20 February 1986; Dely, Diana “Students don’t agree with name change,” The Captain’s Log, 30 January 1986.
[35] N.a. “Taste of the Past: Dining,” Christopher Newport University Alumni Magazine, Spring 2004.
[36] N.a. “BREAKING GROUND…” The Captain’s Log, 22 August 1978; Ritzenthaler, Tanner, Bacher, Prow, “Christopher Newport College” GEO Department, [Map], 1978.
[37] Coppelman, Peter “A Layperson’s Guide to Section 504,” Summer 1977, https://dredf.org/504-sit-in-20th-anniversary/a-laypersons-guide-to-section-504/; Kent, Nancy “Handicapped limits examined at CNC,” The Captain’s Log, 22 November 1977; Earis, Patricia “Library is expanding and providing for handicapped students,” The Captain’s Log, 4 October 1979; Willett, Darlene “New sidewalks are “exposed aggregate”,” The Captain’s Log, 2 October 1980; van Rijn, Rick “Construction almost complete,” The Captain’s Log, 26 January 1989.
[38] Van Rijn, Rick “Construction almost complete,” The Captain’s Log, 26 January 1989.
[39] Seabrook, Suellen “CNU greenhouse ‘grows’,” Denbigh Gazette, 4-10 May 1995.

CNU Architectural Ages: Age One (1964 – 1976)

Christopher Newport Hall
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Christopher Newport Hall (1964)

Gosnold Hall (1965)

Captain John Smith Library / Smith Hall (1967)

Ratcliffe Gym (1967)

Wingfield Hall (1970)

Cazares Greenhouse (1972)

Campus Center (1973)

“I used to say that if you just see one corner of a building in a picture, you know it’s Christopher Newport College. Now, you go to Mary-Washington or to Longwood, some of those others, even the new campus at William & Mary, and you don’t even know where you are if you’re plopped down in the middle of campus. But Christopher Newport—it’s absolutely unique.”

                - James Windsor, 1986[1]

Christopher Newport College (CNC) started out as a branch of the College of William & Mary. The two-year junior college was created to serve the Newport News/Peninsula area, composed predominantly of blue-collar working-class families. It quickly earned a reputation as a quality educational facility, leading to it becoming a four-year college in 1971.[2]

The first three years of Christopher Newport College took place in the 1914 John W. Daniel School building in Downtown Newport News, Virginia. This was only a temporary home while a permanent campus was sought out. The site ultimately chosen was a 72-acre tract along Shoe Lane. In 1964, with the opening of the site’s first building, Christopher Newport Hall, the first official architectural age of the college began![3]

Newport Hall concept painting
Painted for Forrest Colie and Associates and CNC
From CNC's 1964 Trident yearbook

CNC’s Age One buildings and master plan were designed by architectural firm Forrest Coile & Associates. The main architect of the project was Forrest Colie, Jr. (whom the firm was not named after – it was named after his father, Forrest Coile, Sr.). Coile, Jr. called his unique style of the campus’ buildings “Contemporary Oriental.” As the name suggests, the buildings followed the contemporary building styles of the 1960’s, but with an Asian influence. The Asian design choices were mainly evident in the roofs, the general shapes of the buildings, and their bilateral symmetry. Everything else – the building materials, the interiors, the furniture – were of modern design. By creating its own architectural style, the idea was to give the campus its own distinct look and feel.[4]

Each first-floor exterior was made of brick, crowned by a smooth, white band of precast concrete. Groupings of windows varied from thin vertical strips to wide glass sheets. The exterior of the second floors was composed of mainly windows, which were recessed from the rest of the building. Each building featured a cantilevered slate roof design. Inside the buildings, cinder blocks and bricks were used for the walls. Floors were composed of polished slate, terrazzo, and linoleum tiles. All buildings had a simple layout, were cost-effective, and emphasized the horizontal.

Gosnold Hall concept painting
Painted for Forrest Colie and Associates and CNC
Courtesy of CNU OCPR

The academic buildings (Christopher Newport, Gosnold, & Wingfield) were all very similar to each other. Their roofs were dutch gables with a little curved flare towards the bottom of their overhanging rooflines. This flair and the roof’s separated massing from the rest of the building contributed to it resembling the rooflines of Asian pagoda buildings. The main variation between the academic buildings were their sizes. Newport and Wingfield Halls were each composed of one main rectangular building. Gosnold Hall had two main buildings joined together by covered walkways. Gosnold and Newport also featured two one-story square exterior pavilions, called blockhouses.[5] These were denoted with square cantilevered hipped roofs on top. The blockhouses were connected to the rest of their building via a breezeway.

Wingfield Hall c.1980's
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Wingfield classroom, 2010-11

Wingfield Hallway, 2010-11

Wingfield staircase, 2010-11

2nd Floor corner classroom in Gosnold, 2011

The other three buildings of this Age were Ratcliffe Gym, the Captain John Smith Library, and the Campus Center. These all were mansard roofed structures, with unique building layouts to suit their specialized purposes. Ratcliffe was a single-story structure, with its square mansard roof devoted to creating extra height for its indoor gymnasium. It also featured an annex gym with a flat roof. Captain John Smith Library had a rectangular second floor bisecting the building in half. Attached to the side of the library was the one-story Smith Hall, where the administrative offices were located. The Campus Center featured three wings – a buffet cafeteria, a 400-seat theater with a thrust stage (the original Gaines Theater), and a square two-story main building with offices and lounge spaces. The offices were designed to be flexible so they could serve multiple different purposes.[6]

Captain John Smith Library & Smith Hall concept painting
Painted for Forrest Colie and Associates and CNC
Courtesy of CNU OCPR

Backside of the Captain John Smith Library
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Buildings were small compared to the buildings of today’s campus. These were built for a junior college that only hit 2,000 student enrollments during the 1971-72 school year.

Ratcliffe Gym, courtesy of the CNU Archives

LANDSCAPING

The undeveloped Shoe Lane site was composed of grassy fields and woods. When the Age One buildings were constructed, they were mindful of preserving the site’s natural look. “Landscaping will consists [sic] of four basic categories under the terms of the master site plan,” The Times-Herald reported on the school in 1963, “These will include the keeping of the existing pine trees in place, keeping certain existing deciduous trees in place, transplanting pine trees primarily for landscaping parking areas and utilization of buffer trees composed of existing and transplanted pines and deciduous varieties at specific sites on the campus.”[7]

"A quiet place to study"
From CNC's 1968 Trident yearbook

Students walking towards Newport Hall
From CNC's 1966 Trident yearbook

Other than trees and grass, campus was described as “almost void of plants,” without any shrubs or flowers. In the early 1970’s, the Biology Club reached out to local garden clubs for plant donations to beautify campus. They also created a landscaping master plan, selecting plants that would grow well in the region, as well as ones that would be useful for the Horticulture students. The Horticulture Club took over the implementation of the plan, continuing to add plants to the grounds each year. During this time, “almost every plant under 15 feet tall was planted by either the members of the Biology or Horticulture Clubs,” said Dr. David Bankes, longtime professor of the Biology department.[8]

"You'd better like it here because we're not moving it again."
Members of the Biological Society planting a shrub
From CNC's 1971 Trident yearbook

Like most of the region, the land was fairly flat, which made it the perfect blank slate for any campus plan. This also led to certain areas having a tendency to flood easily. Reoccurring pools created from rain were given titles, such as Windsor Lake and Polis Pond (after President Windsor and Dean Polis). Students would sail toy boats and wade into the water, even ice-skate if it was cold enough. After a few hours, the pools would dry out, returning back to land.[9]

A major influence on the look and maintenance of the campus landscape was Mike Cazares, the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds from 1964 to 1975. Cazares was known as a jack-of-all-trades, able to repair anything on campus. He built many needed items throughout his tenure, including extra Smith Library bookshelves and Ratcliffe Gym’s first scoreboard. When laying out pathways for Gosnold, Cazares waited until the second or third week of school. By that time, he could see the worn-down grass paths students instinctively created moving from building to building, and follow them to lay the permanent concrete pathways. Pathways crisscrossed campus.[10]

Map of campus, from CNC's 1969 Trident yearbook
(Proposed Classroom site eventually became the site of the Administration Building)

Cazares’ most lasting impact on campus was designing and building CNC’s Greenhouse for the Biology Department. With the help of students and faculty, he constructed a brick, flat-roofed head house and a wooden-framed greenhouse with yellowish-green fiberglass panels.[11]

Greenhouse under construction
From CNC's 1972 Trident yearbook

NAMES

Buildings during this period were mainly named after the captains of the 1607 Jamestown Expedition. Only five of the seven captains’ names were used: Bartholomew Gosnold, Christopher Newport, Edward Wingfield, John Ratcliffe, and John Smith. The other two captains were John Martin and George Kendall. When the Campus Center’s name was being selected, there was a debate over what to name it. Captains Martin & Kendall both held notoriety that made naming the building after either of them undesirable. There was also a student petition to name the building after late history professor Robert Madison (Pat) Usry. Usry had been the first professor hired for CNC and had passed away from a heart attack in 1971. In the end, it was decided the building would be known simply as Campus Center and its board room would be named in honor of Usry.[12]

Concept painting of Campus Center
Painted for Forrest Colie and Associates and CNC
from the December 5, 1971 edition of The Captain's Log

EXTRAS

The total cost for all the buildings of this Age was $4.4 million.[13]

CNC buildings were all designed for air conditioning, but most of them were not initially built with it. Newport Hall’s computer center and one of Gosnold’s labs that held experiments that required consistent temperatures had air conditioning. While no air conditioning was not an issue in the wintertime, it mattered once CNC started offering summer classes. This was slowly rectified. Smith Library (1967) was the first building on campus built with air conditioning throughout. The first academic building with air conditioning throughout was Wingfield Hall (1970). All the other academic buildings finally received air conditioning between 1970 and 1972.[14]

Inside of Ratcliffe Gymnasium, c.1980's-1990's
Courtesy of Lou Serio

Prior to 2001, only some of the offices and rooms in Ratcliffe received air conditioning. The gyms and locker rooms did not, getting fresh air and cooling down from exhaust vents and fans. The vent openings were covered by concrete trapezoidal prisms on the first floor. The main gym's vent openings were in its flared mansard roof, giving its form a practical use. Birds would frequently fly into the roof through its openings.[15]

Except for the filing cabinets and bookcases, CNC’s original furniture was built by prisoners at the Richmond State Penitentiary. The State Penitentiary also provided the bricks used for the building exteriors.[16]

The audience from Gosnold’s dedication ceremony was not allowed into the building because the building was still being finished. Recalled CNC's first President H. Westcott Cunningham, “We were due to open school two days later, and at the time the dedication was going on, there were about thirty-five convicts, who were actually specialists and artisans who worked for the division of prison industries, in that building hooking up the labs, hooking up the gas jets and the water pipes and everything else. So obviously we did not parade through the building and inspect it that day.”[17]

The Campus Center was the first building on campus built with an elevator, thus could be entirely accessible for a person using a wheelchair. It’s worth mentioning all previous Age One buildings except Ratcliffe Gym had second floors, but even Ratcliffe had floor elevation changes necessitating stairs.[18]

For their design of Gosnold, Forrest Colie and Associates won a certificate of distinction in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ 1966 Virginia, Architects, Designers and Photographers Exhibition. This was the only certificate given for architecture that year. The judges included designer Edgar Kaufmann Jr., world-renowned architect Louis I. Kahn, and photographer Arthur d’Arazien.[19]

Gosnold Hall

Asbestos was used in construction for a long time due to its fire-resistant properties. It was eventually discovered that exposure to it caused certain forms of cancer. The EPA banned asbestos from schools in 1973 and from all new buildings in 1975. Asbestos was present in Age One buildings, but only in their boiler rooms. All public areas were free of it. Per a 1989 Captain’s Log article, the asbestos was slated to be removed “as soon as funds become available”.[20]

Some buildings’ placements were determined due to ground conditions. Wingfield’s original location (30 feet south of its final location) was not suitable because the ground would have required 70 foot pilings, costing an extra $40,000. Other buildings were determined by the landscape. For the Campus Center, Coile stated that “we actually surveyed every tree on the site, altered the shape of the buildings and made adjustments so as to save as many trees as possible. I’m confident we’ll save 90 per cent.”[21]

Men's Bathroom in Smith Library 
(Picture from 2011, this bathroom was demolished
during the Trible Library's 2018 renovation)

Next: CNU Architectural Ages: Age Two (1976 – 1996) 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Webb, Jane Carter, “1.8 D Interview Transcript: James C. Windsor,” SAIL - Smart Archiving for Institutional Learning, https://sail.cnu.edu/omeka/items/show/5564.
[2] Hamilton, Phillip, Serving the Old Dominion: A History of Christopher Newport University 1958-2011, First ed., University Press, 2011.
[3] Hamilton, Phillip, Serving the Old Dominion: A History of Christopher Newport University 1958-2011, First ed., University Press, 2011.
[4] N.a. “CNC center nearly ready,” The Times-Herald, 5 September 1973; N.a. “Work Is Starting On CNC Building,” Daily Press, 9 May 1969.
[5] N.a. “Second Step in a Ten Year Building Plan Now Underway,” The Captain’s Log, 16 December 1964.
[6] Holt, Jean “CNC Campus Center Plans Endorsed,” Daily Press, 12 August 1971.
[7] N.a. “Newport College Site Use Plans Get State Approval,” The Times-Herald, 13 June 1963.
[8] Edeburn, Melissa “Clubs plant birch in honor of Dean Polis, The Captain’s Log, 24 October 1978.
[9] Bauer, F. Samuel “Remembering Lake Windsor and Polis Pond,” Christopher Newport College First Decaders 1961 – 1971 (herein referred to as CNC First Decaders), n.d., http://www.cncfirstdecaders6171.com/websitearchives/seconddecadehistory.html
[10] Blankenship, Dalton “Feedback RE: Mike Cazares Tribute series,” CNC First Decaders, http://www.cncfirstdecaders6171.com/websitearchives/feedback.html; Chambers, A. Jane “Memories of CNC’s Super Superintendent: Mike Cazares,” CNC First Decaders, 7 March 2014, http://www.cncfirstdecaders6171.com/websitearchives/firstdecadehistory.html.
[11] Chambers, A. Jane “Memories of CNC’s Super Superintendent: Mike Cazares,” CNC First Decaders, 7 March 2014, http://www.cncfirstdecaders6171.com/websitearchives/firstdecadehistory.html
[12] Getchell, Halver “Name For Campus Center Expected.” Daily Press, 20 February 1973; Cones, Harold “Dr. E. Spencer Wise: Colleague, Mentor, Close Friend,” CNC First Decaders, 29 March 2013. http://www.cncfirstdecaders6171.com/websitearchives/yourmemories.html
[13] Mangum, Marcia “Higher Enrollment Prompting Construction at CNC,” Daily Press, 11 June 1979.
[14] Hamilton, Phillip, Serving the Old Dominion: A History of Christopher Newport University 1958-2011, First ed., University Press, 2011; Chambers, Hubbard, Wood, Memories of Christopher Newport College the First Decade 1961 – 1971 in Words and Pictures, Hallmark Publishing Company, 2008.
[15] Serio, Lou, 18 January 2023, [tour of Ratcliffe].
[16] Chambers, A. Jane, “CNC’s First Shoe Lane Building: Christopher Newport Hall,” CNC First Decaders, 27 April 2018, http://www.cncfirstdecaders6171.com/websitearchives/firstdecadehistory.html; Chambers, A. Jane, “Memories of CNC’s Super Superintendent: Mike Cazares,” CNC First Decaders, 7 March 2014, http://www.cncfirstdecaders6171.com/websitearchives/firstdecadehistory.html.
[17] University Archives Oral History Collection, “H. Westcott Cunningham Oral History,” Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary, https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/5463.
[18] N.a., “CNC center nearly ready,” The Times-Herald, 5 September 1973.
[19] Booth, Ed “Awards Announced In Museum Biennial,” Richmond Times-Dispatch. 2 February 1966; n.a. “Awards Is Given To Forrest Coile By Art Museum,” Daily Press, 28 February 1966.
[20] Delles, Keith “Asbestos at CNC limited to boiler rooms,” The Captain’s Log, 2 November 1989.
[21] Barnes, Myrtle “College Seeks Solid Spot,” The Times-Herald, 10 February 1969; N.a. “New Building Site Found By Newport,” The Times-Herald, 22 February 1969; Holt, Jean “CNC Campus Center Plans Endorsed,” Daily Press, 12 August 1971.

The Architectural Ages of Christopher Newport University: Introduction

(Left two images courtesy of the CNU Archives)

The campus of Christopher Newport University (formerly Christopher Newport College) has gone through immense changes since its inception. Many current students walk its pathways with no idea what the buildings or landscape used to look like. In this series, I want to shed light on that by sharing the whole architectural history of campus, where it started, how it evolved, and how it became the campus of today.

I have divided this series into five different architectural ages of time. What am I defining an "architectural age" as? A period where a series of buildings follow similar trends, be it a style, an architect, a continuous shift, or consistent actions taking place. For each age, I will provide a list of all the buildings constructed and major additions/renovations during that time, a description of the architecture, the landscaping, naming practices, and extra facts I found interesting. In later ages, I will add a section on zeitgeist vs. cohesion in the campus architecture, but more on that when we get to it.

Like any look into the past, trends only appear in hindsight, so it is possible they might or might not have been intentional at the time. But I will write them as best as they appear to be.

My main focus is covering the architecture that was built for the college. Buildings that were bought and used by the institution, such as the John W. Daniel School building, Barclay/Greek Row/CNU Crossing, Commonwealth Hall, Warwick Motel, Crestar/BTC/SunTrust/CNU North, Ferguson High School (pre-Performing Arts renovation) will not be covered. They are part of the conversation, yes, but moreso as a collective influence rather than as individual buildings.

As someone who first stepped onto the campus in 2010, there are plenty of buildings I never experienced, or only experienced after they had been significantly altered. Through archival photos, I have tried to get a sense of what it was like and how things have evolved. However, there is no substitute for actually experiencing a place in person. If I am completely off-track or missing a very important piece of the puzzle, my sincerest apologies and please let me know!

Land Acknowledgements: The lands that Christopher Newport College and University stand on were originally those of the Kecoughtan peoples, part of the Powhatan Chiefdom.

Prior to Christopher Newport's ownership, much of the land had been settled by an emerging Black neighborhood. Through eminent domain, the City of Newport News took the land from these homeowners.

Now, let's get to it!

Next: CNU Architectural Ages: Age One (1964 - 1976)