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| Christopher Newport College letter at Ratcliffe Hall |
Since the mid-1990's, Christopher Newport University has been building itself into a world-class university. While doing so, it has demolished almost all of its original buildings. However, not all has disappeared! You can still find remnants of the past to this day....
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| 1995 satellite imagery of Christopher Newport's campus, with shading of present-day buildings overlaid. Map Data: Newport News GIS Map |
Before we begin, Christopher Newport College (CNC) became Christopher Newport University (CNU) in 1992. On this tour, I will be focusing on buildings and landmarks that were established before 1993, while it was still known as a College. So, while Santoro Hall, Harbor Lights/Commons, and the third phase of the Smith Library were built in the early/mid-90's and are still around, I will not be covering them.
Here are the campus buildings that have been demolished:
IN MEMORIAM
Christopher Newport/McMurran Hall 1964 - 2010
Gosnold Hall 1965 - 2019
Campus Center/Student Center 1973 - 2008
Wingfield Hall 1970 - 2011
Cazares Greenhouse 1972 - 2010
Service Building 1979 - 1998
Administration Building 1980 - 2013
Science Building 1984 - 2011
Here are the older campus buildings that are extant in some form:
Captain John Smith Library 1967
Ratcliffe Gym 1967
Let's go check them out!
The Library
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| Captain John Smith Library concept art. Artist unknown, Forrest Coile & Associates Courtesy of CNU OCPR |
The Captain John Smith Library has been renovated and expanded more than any other building on campus, past or present. It has had 4 major construction projects since its initial 1967 build -- 1979, 1994, 2008, and 2018. With its 2008 addition and renovation, it was renamed the Paul and Rosemary Trible Library. During this time, parts of the original building were demolished. What remained was given a facelift to better fit the new classically-based architecture. The 2018 renovation also continued both of these trends. Today, what remains are the two two-story wings of the building built in 1967 and 1976, forming a T-shape.
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| Smith Library and Grounds Map, from the February 9, 1989 edition of The Captain's Log. Red-shaded area is the building section that is still extant. (Note: the diagonally-lined section is also extant, but that was built after CNC became CNU) |
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| Aerial view of Trible Library, present-day. Red-shaded area is the original building section. Map Data: Google Earth |
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| Library construction, June 2006 Photo courtesy Beth Young |
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| Trible Library, present-day |
On the other side, the cross-gable along with the stretch of windows on either side of it marks the top of the T section of the original structure.
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| Smith Library construction/demo, steel outlining future hipped roof. April 2005, photo courtesy Beth Young. |
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| Trible Library, present-day Relevant section outlined in red |
Let's go inside now and explore what can be seen in the publicly-accessible areas first. For the most part, what remains in these areas are structural/hidden.
On the first floor behind the 2008 rotunda, there is a computer workstation space. The back wall marks where the 2008 addition ends, and the original building begins.
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| Computer workstation space |
Through a doorway is a pass-through space. Straight ahead is a stretch of hallway, with the book collections branching off of it. But here, here we are in the Smith Library. While the walls and floors have been redone, you can tell it's older because the ceiling is lower in this section than the newer ones. Also inhabiting this Smith-era area are the bathrooms to the left, and an exhibit space to the right marked by glass-window doors and a wall (the former entrance to the Mariners' Museum Library when it was housed at the Trible Library). The back wall marks where this section ends, crossing through the lower end of the T.
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| In the "T," you are cutting across the lower part of it |
If we go towards the books and immediately turn right and walk to the back right corner, there's a section that crosses back into a Smith Library section, and you are met with ... a brick wall! This was one of the walls that surrounded a Smith Library staircase that took you up to the second floor. More on that later.
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| Drywall opening revealing Smith Library bricks |
On the second floor behind the rotunda is the former c. 2008 Media Center, now a study space. In the center of that area is a connection hall to the 2018 wing. Going through the liminal hallway, you are once again pass through the structure of the Smith Library! The awkward placement of walls is due to you traversing through different generations of building sections.
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| Entrance to the hallway connection from the 2008 library wing. |
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| Looking towards the 2008 library wing. |
So that is the extent of what the public can still experience of the Smith Library. Lucky for us, today we have a VIP pass, so let's delve beyond the shelves and trek into the staff-only areas!
For much of the first floor, the former Smith Library spaces are composed of library offices and the kitchen for Einstein's café. The spaces have been reconfigured and reskinned, leaving no discernable remnants. The one picture I have from this level is from the window that marks where the front door used to be.
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| Window where the former Smith Library entrance used to be. |
Let's head upstairs now. This is where things get interesting. The original second floor was never connected to the 2008 or 2018 sections' second floor. Why for? Well, the floors don't line up. Like much of new CNU construction, the Trible Library's floor-to-ceiling height is larger than what was built in the early years. The first floors mostly lined up, so they were compatible to be used together. The second floors, not so much. This height discrepancy is hidden by the cross-gable's multi-floor window. You don't notice it unless you're looking for it.
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| Rough comparison of where the floors are in the original wing (cross-gable), and the 2008 addition (r). The light blue line marks the ground on the first floor. The black line marks the first floor's ceiling. The orange line marks the second floor's floor. The yellow line marks the ceiling for the second floor. |
To build the hallway to connect the 2008 and 2018 second floors, they had to build a raised section of path through the Smith Library's second floor. This has created two separate sections that are no longer reachable to each other. Luckily, each side has its own Smith Library staircase, so we can still check them out!
Here is staircase #1, which used to be by the Smith Library entrance. By the turn of the century, it was used primarily as an emergency-only stair. It might have been reconstructed when it became emergency stairs, as I have found two maps from the 1980's showing the stairs rotated 180 degrees from their present setup.
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| Staircase! |
These stairs lead to a single room, facing the Great Lawn. This is the first second floor Smith Library area. Due to fire code, it is no longer a useable space, so it is empty.
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| A single room |
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| View out the window. Where once was Wingfield Hall and the Administration Building is now Luter Hall and Christopher Newport Hall, respectively. |
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| Pre-2008 door |
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| Fire evacuation phone in stairwell |
For the other section, its staircase is on the other side of that brick wall we saw earlier, and it is a beauty!
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| Smith Library staircase! |
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| There is an intentional separation between the landing and the brick wall. |
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| Close-up on the terrazzo floor on the landing |
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| View to the top of the stairs from the landing |
Before we go up these lovely stairs, one interesting thing to note. This was part of the 1979 addition. For some reason, this whole section's first floor was lower than the 1967 build's floor, necessitating a ramp.
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| Smith Library interior c. 2006, in the midst of emptying it of furniture before being renovated. Ramp leading down to the stairs Photo courtesy of Beth Young. |
For the next library expansion in 1994, they placed that section at the 1967 height. This necessitated another ramp where the 1994 and 1979 sections met. For the 2008 expansion, they decided on consistency and put all the floors at the 1967 height. The ramps were done away with, and the 1979 floors were raised. The proof of this is in the above photo, as there are 11 steps to the landing. Today, there are 9 steps!
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| Stair comparisons, 2006 and 2022. 2006 photo courtesy of Beth Young. |
On the backside of these stairs is the library's first elevator.
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| Smith Library elevator |
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| Second floor brick wall surrounding the stairs |
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| More brick on the second floor |
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| Former Smith Library second floor. In the "T," this is the horizontal top part. Notice the windows, continuing past the drop ceiling. They are following the Trible Library scale. |
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| Older water fountain |
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| Possibly the same Smith Library water fountain, 1979 Pictured in the December 4, 1979 edition of The Captain's Log. Photo by Vincent Emmons |
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| The water fountain STILL works! |
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| Old Janitor Closet |
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| Bathroom door handle, pull to open |
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| Men's Bathroom in Smith Library |
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| You can see the same bathroom and urinal on the right side of this image. Smith Library construction/demo, April 2005. Photo courtesy Beth Young. |
The slate and mansard shape is gone. However, the rectangular base and the upper part's structural steel remain. This space was a mechanical room. It still continues to be used in that capacity, its services being reused and expanded upon for the Trible Library.
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| Former mansard roof mechanical room. White cinderblocks and maroon steel mark the original shape. |
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| Another corner of the remaining Smith Library mechanical space. In the top-right near the top of the vertical steel pieces, you can see angled steel -- remnants of the mansard roof structure? |
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| This framed piece of paper from 1978 is nailed inside the rectangular mechanical space, calling it the "Penthouse." |
That ends our tour of the Library. Now that we have worked out our brain, it's time to work out our body... Gym time!
The Gym
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| Ratcliffe Gym concept art. Artist unknown, Forrest Coile & Associates. Courtesy of CNU OCPR |
Ratcliffe Gym (now Hall) has had 2 major additions over the years -- 2001 and 2012. In 2001, along with an expansion, the gyms were converted into classrooms and offices. Two stories were built into the main gym, while the auxiliary gym stayed one story, its tall ceilings hidden by a drop-ceiling. In 2012, another expansion was added, and some of the front façade was reskinned.
It might not be apparent on first glance, but much of Ratcliffe's original exterior still remains.
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| Two present-day aerial views of Ratcliffe Hall Top view is as-is. Bottom view features red shading marking the original 1967 sections of the building. Its original building outline can still be easily traced. Map Data: Google Earth |
To the right of the 2001 glass tower is a stretch where you can see the main gym's mansard roof and the original walls.
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| Ratcliffe Hall |
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| In this image, all but the small glass structure on the right is original Ratcliffe Gym |
The auxiliary gym, while buried behind plants, is still there.
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| Auxiliary Gym behind the basketball court |
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| Trapezoidal prism exhaust opening |
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| A back entrance on Ratcliffe with cantilevered covering. Former Auxiliary Gym is to the left. |
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| Light detail on the cantilever roof |
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| Odd curvy metal arm of some contraption |
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| Back corner of the mansard roof |
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| View of the backside of Ratcliffe from the football stadium |
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| Another trapezoidal prism exhaust opening |
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| Peeking inside, the opening has been bricked closed. |
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| Distinct roof line difference between the 1967 and 2001 wings (left and right, respectfully) |
The 2012 addition added traditional architecture elements across a portion of the front, to better blend in with the rest of campus. Ratcliffe windows and bricks were reused in this section.
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| Modified façade to the left of the glass tower |
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| A stretch of Ratcliffe Gym windows. Arches, keystones, and extra window muntins were added to make it appear more neoclassical. |
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| Close-up on one of the added window muntins. It is attached onto the front of the glass. |
Now that we've seen the outside, let's go inside. The 2001 Ratcliffe renovation mainly involved the gyms and entrance area. Many of the original hallways and support spaces have retained their appearance.
Entering through the glass tower entrance, you are greeted into a two story lobby. This is a corner of the former main gym that still shows off its high ceiling. The rest of the space was filled with an added second floor.
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| Ratcliffe Hall lobby atrium, present-day |
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| Ratcliffe Main Gym Interior, date unknown |
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| Ratcliffe Hall lobby atrium, present-day Looking from the opposite end of the space. The row of columns on the left denote where the gym wall used to be. |
In the 2001 offices and classrooms on the first floor, there are two parallel hallways. These actually run the whole length of the main gym.
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| Hallway, running the length of the former main gym |
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| Another hallway, running the length of the former main gym |
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| Hallway. Where the light is reflecting off the floor, there is a barely-noticeable circular protrusion. I have been told this is the ground outlet that powered the scorers' table, covered over by the new floor. The court would have been to the right of the image. |
Back in the lobby, there is an intersection of two Ratcliffe hallways, denoted by brick walls and terrazzo floors.
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| Brick wall with single-use bathrooms |
These single-use bathrooms were added in the 1990's as part of making Ratcliffe more accessible. The space was formerly part of a locker room bathroom.
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| A look inside one of the single-use bathrooms |
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| A look down the hallway to the former auxiliary gym |
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| The far end of that same hallway The two vertical lines on the brick on the left is from where an outside doorway used to be. |
The auxiliary gym was converted into classrooms. Today, it serves as the offices for the IT department.
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| Hallway through the former auxiliary gym I would love the chance to see what remains above this drop ceiling... |
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| Office space. Auxiliary gym windows in back. |
The two sets of original locker rooms are still used as locker rooms. The lockers all underwent refurbishment in the last year, so while they have new looks, they still fit the same footprint.
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| Example of a locker room |
In the current men's lacrosse locker room, the showers have remained fairly intact to their original appearance.
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| Looking down the row of shower stalls These showers were originally built for women -- the original men's locker rooms had communal showers without stalls. |
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| An individual shower stall |
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| Shower stalls |
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| Sink station. Reflected in the mirror is a CNC bathroom stall, which I apparently did not care to get any other shots of, so this is all I got to show. |
There is a second bathroom area in the men's lacrosse locker room. This is because this locker room was originally two smaller locker rooms combined together. The second bathroom area is smaller than the first one, because this is the area that was carved out of to become the single-use bathrooms we previously looked at.
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| The sink side of the second bathroom area in the men's lacrosse locker room. |
Continuing on from the the locker rooms...
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| An original back hallway with minimal changes |
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| Around the corner from the previous picture is the only remaining main gym doorway still present and walkable. It is denoted where the walls briefly jut into the hallway. |
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| Old water fountain |
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| Unlike the water fountain in the library, this one is not operable. |
Some of the most interesting remnants of Ratcliffe Gym are in its smaller areas: closets, storage areas, and offices.
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| Here, we have a framed piece of original gym floor. This is located in a storage area. Featuring the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference logo (Now called the USA South Athletic Conference), which Christopher Newport was a part of 1972 - 2013. The wood is maple hardwood. |
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| This locker room closet has a door inside it that has been barred closed. It used to be a locker room entrance. The other side of the door led to a hallway. The other side is now a janitor's closet. |
This next room doesn't look very impressive, but in 2000 it served as former President George H.W. Bush's office/safety room. He stopped at Ratcliffe to give a speech for his son's presidential campaign. The Secret Service needed an interior room space (not touching an exterior wall) that had access to a private phone line, and this space fit the bill.
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| President Bush's Office at CNU. Two (now-covered) interior windows are still viewable. The one on the left used to look into the main gym. The one on the right used to look into a hallway. |
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| In this janitor closet added in 2001, its back wall features a 1967 exterior wall. |
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| Another closet that has a closed-off window. This was a coach's office. This window looked into the locker rooms. |
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| The same coach's office came with its own bathroom |
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| Sink in the coach's bathroom with stylized faucet levers |
For some odd, inexplicable, wonderful reason, one of the wooden doors and its rolling mechanism are still in place.
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| Wooden gate partially rolled out. The bottom of the gate marks the stage height. |
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| Basketball Game in Ratcliffe Gym, date unknown Closed stage doors are behind the basketball hoop. Courtesy of the CNU Archives |
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| Stage proscenium still present! |
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| Lock detail Also note how a pipe is screwed into the gate |
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| Windows overlooking the original mansard roof |
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| Structural steel extending from the mansard roof to support the 2012 classical roof façade |
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| View from the other side, where you can see a corner of the mansard roof and the auxiliary gym. |
Ratcliffe is a little disjointed architecturally, with many different styles present. It hasn't been completely redone to match the neo-georgian style of the newer buildings. But that has allowed for many elements of the original gym to still be present, and for that I am grateful.
Ratcliffe Bonus: Freeman
The Freeman Center? Why are we stopping there, a 2001 post-CNC structure? Well, when Freeman took over presenting sporting events from Ratcliffe, it brought over the trophies, banners, and plaques.
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| All-American certificates that used to hang in Ratcliffe's lobby Some have yellowed more than others. That is due to the way the sunlight hit them through the glass doors of Ratcliffe. They are now in a Freeman hallway that does not receive direct sunlight. |
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| These Ratcliffe trophy cases were built by track and field coach Vince Brown. |
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| Around the Vince Brown Track are banners. The older ones used to hang around Ratcliffe's court. |
The Alumni House
While also not an original building, I would be remiss not to highlight the Gregory P. Klich Alumni House. Named after a 1984 CNC graduate, it is the home for every Captain that returns back to campus. It includes many school artifacts, including the school mace and the first degree ever given out by the college, as well as exhibits highlighting aspects of the school's story.
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| Lois Wright's 1962 degree |
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| School Mace, crafted by J.J. (Jan) Heuvel, Sr. |
Outside on Campus
Like the buildings, much of the plants have changed up, but some of them still give wisps of what once was.
The woods directly behind Wingfield, formalized as the Wise Woods in 1990, have mostly been cut down, save for two small sections.
The section closest to Luter and Forbes is slated to be cut down in the coming years for an expansion of Luter Hall. [April 2024 Update: This section has now been cut down]
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| Wise Woods fragment by Luter and Forbes Halls |
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| Wise Woods fragment between Parking Lot D and the Freeman Center |
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| Walking in the Wise Woods today |
Meanwhile, Gosnold Hall was demolished in 2019 for the next expansion of Forbes Hall, an expansion that is not in the immediate queue of construction projects. In its place is a grassy area, named Gosnold Lawn.
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| Gosnold Lawn |
The last of the on-campus remnants are the trees in front of Luter. These trees were previously directly in front of Wingfield Hall.
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| Wingfield Hall, Summer 2011 Red arrows denote extant trees |
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| Luter Hall, present-day The same trees with 12 added years of growth |
Off-Campus Curiosities
Christopher Newport College even survives outside the borders of campus!
First off, we have the first CNC-owned President's House. For the first two decades, the college president had to find their own private residence. In 1983, CNC bought 812 Riverside Drive for the college president to use for entertaining/college functions, as well as a home during their reign. After the construction of the current President's House in 2009, this house was sold and became a private residence once again.
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| 812 Riverside Drive, former CNC President's House |
Heading into downtown Newport News, we visit the 1929 West Avenue Library. Inside is a mural of Christopher Newport that was painted in 1957 for the 350th anniversary celebration of the creation of the Jamestown colony. The mural's depiction of Newport was used as the basis for many of CNC's early depictions of its namesake.
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| Christopher Newport landing mural, painted by Allan D. Jones, Jr. |
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| Mural detail of Christopher Newport Painted by Allan D. Jones, Jr. |
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| Christopher Newport appearing in the logo on the first issue of The Captain's Log November 7, 1963 |
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| Early 1970's CNC Seal and Christopher Newport Drawing by Kenneth Flick (CNC '72) Courtesy of the CNU Archives |
The West Avenue Library closed to the public in 2013. From 2013 until 2022, the building served as the offices for Newport News Public Library (NNPL)'s Collection Services department, and you could schedule an appointment to view the mural. As of 2023, Collection Services is moving to a new building, and the West Avenue Library will now be used for auxiliary purposes. The mural is currently unavailable to view. Here's hoping it can once again be enjoyed by the public, either by repurposing the building, or moving the mural elsewhere.
Related to this, at CNC's first commencement ceremony in 1963, the NNPL Board of Trustees gave the college an over 5' sketch of Christopher Newport by Jones. This was an early drawing study for the 1957 mural, depicting the captain with two hands. As someone wrote towards the bottom of the work, the sketch was done before research uncovered Newport had actually lost his right arm prior to sailing to the New World. He is depicted correctly in the final mural. The sketch is now stored in the CNU Archives.
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| Sketch of Christopher Newport by Allan D. Jones, Jr., located in the CNU Archives Photo courtesy of Dr. Sean Heuvel |
On the other end of Newport News is one final stop -- the Japanese Teahouse at Newport News Park. In 1988, a 17th-century reproduction teahouse was built for a Japanese exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Virginia Governor Gerald Baliles sought to have the teahouse reside in the state once the exhibit was completed. Christopher Newport College became the lucky recipient of it, thanks to its newly-formed Japanese Studies program and the nearby Japanese-owned Canon Virginia, Inc. business. The teahouse was rebuilt on campus in a wooded area next to the main entrance road in 1989. In 2006, the teahouse ended its college residency. CNU's Japanese Studies Program had been discontinued, and the university needed the land for infrastructure expansion. The building found a new home at Newport News Park in 2007, where it remains to this day. Its former site on campus is now Parking Lot M.
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| Japanese Teahouse in Newport News Park |
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| Japanese Teahouse in Newport News Park |
Bonus: Subway Station
Since 1977, Subway Station has been making delicious sandwiches from across Warwick Boulevard. May they never go out of business, may they never leave their corner, and may they never change their god-awful/iconic paint scheme.
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| The eternal Subway Station |
CNC On-Line
CNC exists in a couple places on the World Wide Web!
First off is the amazing CNC First Decaders website. This website celebrates the early years of Christopher Newport College and its students, faculty, and staff. Founded and run by longtime CNC professor Dr. A. Jane Chambers, she has been a huge force in preserving stories and reuniting former classmates. The website holds a treasure trove of stories and articles throughout its pages.
For extra information on the First Decaders, check out this article CNU recently ran on the group.
The archives held by the successor of the Captain John Smith Library can be found digitally in two places, C.H.R.I.S. and S.A.I.L.
S.A.I.L. (Smart Archiving for Institutional Learning) is the older of the two. It is a catalogue of materials found in the CNU Archives. SAIL has a couple online exhibits and PDFs, but most of the material comes in the form of listings and descriptions. If you wish to view the items, most likely you will have to contact the Archives to make an in-person appointment. Ah well, a worthy reason to visit your alma mater!
C.H.R.I.S. (Campus History Records Information Stories) has digital copies of CNC yearbooks, campus newspapers, and inter-collegiate publications. The digitization process is still ongoing, but as of this writing, all the yearbooks and newspapers during Christopher Newport College's years are available online!
Randall Monroe (CNU class of 2006) is the author of the online xkcd comics. In the deep recesses of his site, he has photos from kite-flying experiments at CNU 2004-2005. You can see a couple CNC buildings from the air, Ratcliffe being the most prominent.
eCampus Tours has some excellent 360 degree camera captures around CNU from the early 2000's. The best is probably a 360 degree capture inside the Student Center, but plenty of the original buildings make cameos in the outdoor shots.
Collegiate Books
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| Captain Chris reading Memories of Christopher Newport College: The First Decade, 1961-1971 Photo by Topher Embrey |
For those bibliophiles, here are a couple of excellent publications I would recommend:
Photos and essays on the college's first decade from teachers, students, and staff
Christopher Newport University by Sean M. Heuvel, Arcadia Publishing, 2009
A comprehensive photographic journey of the school's history, a good choice for casual readers/introduction to Christopher Newport history
Serving the Old Dominion: a History of Christopher Newport University, 1958-2011 by Phillip Hamilton, Mercer University Press, 2011
A detailed written history of the school (over 300 pages), good for deep dives
I hope you've enjoyed this look around Christopher Newport College at Christopher Newport University! It's a school that has gone through lots of redevelopment, but it still has some of its old stomping grounds. I hope the next time you visit campus, this article will have helped you find a bit of "Scotty's College" of yesteryear.
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| Early 1970's CNC Seal and Christopher Newport Drawing by Kenneth Flick (CNC '72) Courtesy of the CNU Archives |
Sources
Memories of Christopher Newport College: The First Decade, 1961-1971, by A. Jane Chambers, Rita C. Hubbard, and Lawrence Barron Wood Jr., Hallmark Publishing Company, Inc., 2008
Christopher Newport University by Sean M. Heuvel, Arcadia Publishing, 2009
Serving the Old Dominion: a History of Christopher Newport University, 1958-2011 by Phillip Hamilton, Mercer University Press, 2011
Delaney, Bill "First Class Is Graduated From Christopher Newport," Daily Press, 7 June 1963.
Smith Library Maps, various years
Ratcliffe blueprints, 2001
Thank you to Beth Young and Matt Shelley at the Trible Library, and Lou Serio and IT Services at Ratcliffe Hall for all of their insight and taking me through their hallowed halls!
Related CNC/CNU Articles
Hi A.J, this is an awesome blog and thanks for sharing! I am a graduate of the Class of 2006 and am a fellow history buff. If you are interested, I've got some photos of the several of the campus buildings interiors/exteriors prior to their demolitions, abt 2006- 2014. I am also interested in collecting whatever photos there are of CNU from 2004-2006 as there doesn't seem to be that many. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Feel free to message me on the email submission form on my Subscribe page.
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