CNU Architectural Ages: Age Four (2002 – 2009)

View from the Ferguson Parking Deck, 2011

York River Hall (2002)

CNU Apartments (2002)

Football Stadium [Phase 2] (2002)

Potomac River Hall (2004)

Captain's Park [Baseball] (2004)

Ferguson Center Parking Deck (2004)

Captain's Park [Softball] (2005)

CNU Village (2005)

David Student Union (2006)

Captain's Park [Baseball] [Addition - Press Box & stands] (2006)

Madison Hall [rebuild] (2007)

Paul and Rosemary Trible Library [Addition] (2008)

Three Oaks [President's House] (2009)

Age Four was a dynamic age. Whereas other Ages had buildings that all fit together, this Age was an active transition between Ages Three and Five. Building by building, the style became less contemporary and more neo-classical, where traditional architecture elements replaced contemporary ones.

It appears around the time the initial Age Four projects were in their planning phase was when Trible started thinking long-term architecturally. His initial campus solutions had worked and started to make the University popular. But going forward, what was CNU? What should it say? What would elevate it architecturally? For Trible, modern architecture did not speak to him. During this Age, he started to reveal what did. Ultimately, “President Trible wanted a campus that reflected the history, traditions and values of Virginia,” explained Brauer. “These ideals are represented through the language of architecture, but with a 21st century twist, ie. with features that are firmly rooted in the modern century.”[55] It was classical architecture that became our nation’s first self-appointed style. Its establishment in America started in the Mid-Atlantic region and was in large part due to prominent Virginian Thomas Jefferson. While serving in various leadership capacities in Virginia and the United States, Jefferson was able to guide the new country towards embracing it, through competitions of the President’s House and Capitol, and in his own designs of the Virginia Capitol, Monticello, and the University of Virginia. Many Virginia colleges have or have had building phases focused on traditional design elements – the College of William & Mary, the University of Mary Washington, Longwood University, Hampden-Sydney College, and Washington & Lee University (the last two of which Trible attended for his undergraduate and graduate degrees, respectively). And so, in that great classical tradition, so too would CNU follow.[56]

Much of CNU’s Age Four was designed predominantly by the architectural firm DMJM Design. They designed all of the larger building projects during this Age, as well as creating the master site plans for this Age and the previous one.[57]

At the beginning of the Age, York River Hall was built. York River is two separate yet identical V-shaped buildings next to each other. Each hall has a small central lobby with an octangular roof decoratively supported by pressed wood arches. From the lobby are two 4-story wings containing student housing. Most of its windows have no muntins, only a window sash. The gable roofs and dormers are clad with imitation slate. Thick, tan brick stringcourses denote the buildings’ stories. Inside past the lobby, walls are mainly painted cinderblocks, carpet, and linoleum tiles. It is very clear you are in a 21st century building. Only the outside has allusions to classical architecture.

York River Hall grand opening, 2002
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

A group of individuals in the York River Hall lobby
Courtesy of the CNU Archives

Next that same year came the CNU Apartments on East Campus. These five buildings are single-wing cousins of York River, but with more cross gables and prefab materials. Basic rule of thumb for East Campus architecture: it all fits in within the main campus style, but because it’s across the street, the architecture is pared down and rules are loosened up. Simple cornices and classical columns are present. There are triangular windows in some of the gables, a very modern choice. Unlike York, utility exhaust pipes in the roof are visible from the ground level.

One of the CNU Apartments

Triangular window in a pediment

Two years later brought Potomac River Hall in 2004. This complex is fairly identical to York River, but details were modified and enhanced. Potomac’s lobbies were expanded and rethemed, invoking classical architecture with classical columns, dentils, and crown molding. The housing wings feature modern elements, similar to, yet changed-up, from York’s.

A wing and lobby of Potomac Hall
While York River's wings are all 4 stories,
Potomac River has two wings that are 4 stories
and two that are 3 stories.

Potomac Hall Lobby

2005 brought the CNU Village to East Campus. Here, the building puts on a façade of classical design along the roadway but abandons it in the pedestrian areas. The front is clad in brick, cross-gables, a stringcourse, decorative Chinese Chippendale railing, and a small pedestrian-entrance pavilion. The parts of the building hidden from the roadway are clad in vinyl siding and surround the unadorned concrete parking deck.

The front of CNU Village

The backside of CNU Village

Finally, the Age ended with the David Student Union (DSU) (2006) and the Paul and Rosemary Trible Library (2008). While these two buildings are some of the most Neo-Georgian buildings in Age Four, so much so that they could be considered Age Five, I have decided to group them into Age Four for the following reasons:

• The DSU and Library were the last DMJM designs at CNU. Age Five will get a new primary campus architectural firm.
• The DSU and Library have columns made of Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC), which are lighter and less dense than regular concrete. Age Five will use precast concrete, which is much more solid and heavy. The GFRC columns are also composed of multiple pieces, with many seams. Columns in Age Five will eliminate as many seams as possible to create more solid-looking columns.
• Columns and entablatures in Age Four buildings are white. Those elements’ color in Age Five will change to tan.[58]
• Where the DSU and Library use traditional architecture, you can readily tell they were built with modern building practices. The library has vertical seams in its brick sections, which make the walls look like prefabricated sheets of brick. The DSU proclaims its modernity by featuring a created architectural narrative of two buildings joined into one. Age Five buildings hide/avoid evidence of modern building practices on its exterior and main interior areas, using them in more utilitarian/support spaces.

Front of the Trible Library

Trible Library Rotunda

David Student Union (DSU)
The narrative story is of two Georgian buildings
joined together by a modern-day hyphen.

"Evidence" of former exterior windows
and walls, inside the modern-day hyphen.

David Student Union Street and Staircase

CAMPUS COHESION VS. ZEITGEIST

On many college campuses, buildings and their expansions are built piecemeal, still part of an overall campus plan but aesthetically products of their time. This creates a zeitgeist look to these campuses. Even if there is at one time a push for overall cohesion, it only takes a leadership transition or funding pulled to dash those plans. CNU had developed a similar condition. It had the 1960’s Contemporary Oriental buildings of Age One, the similar-yet-not-always Contemporary Oriental buildings of Age Two, the bold 2000’s contemporary buildings of Age Three, and the current transitional contemporary-to-classical buildings of Age Four. CNU had also bought over 100 neighboring properties with buildings that had nothing architecturally to do with any of the previously listed styles. With Paul Trible’s continued tenure and fundraising success, the CNU transformation could continue into the long-term, addressing campus cohesion. The main plan of action during this Age was renovating existing buildings into the Neo-Georgian style. The only physical example in this Age was the Smith Library transforming into the Trible Library, but other original buildings also were envisioned to receive new looks, reskinned with hipped roofs.[59] 

CNU Masterplan concept sketch from the 2000's
The Student Center and Gosnold are depicted reskinned as Neo-Georgian buildings
Sketched by and courtesy of Tom Donaghy

The only exception to the cohesion efforts would be the Ferguson Center for the Arts. The Ferguson, a landmark building designed by a world-famous architectural firm, is not a building that can have its architecture easily changed in the name of campus cohesion. So even though it was built in Age Four, it remained as it had been designed in Age Three. For the time being, it was separated from the other buildings of campus by distance. However, any buildings built between the two would become architectural transition points. The first instance of this appeared in the Ferguson Parking Deck. Originally as designed, the deck was to be placed next to the library, west of the Ferguson. Later on in planning, it moved behind the Ferguson, allowing for the parking deck to adopt a mix of elements from Ages Three and Four. The parking deck features the Ferguson’s brick pattern, curving concrete forms, and a decorative pergola reminiscent of those at the 2001 Freeman Center. It also features square hipped roofs on its elevator towers, keystones, and some concrete entablature elements.

Ferguson Parking Lot Pedestrian Entrance

Another Ferguson Parking Lot Pedestrian Entrance

LANDSCAPE

For all intents and purposes, landscaping in Age Four was a continuation of Age Three.

York River Hall from the Trible Plaza

Campus expansion meant much space was changed, exchanged, and/or transformed by new buildings and parking lots. The ellipse roadway became the DSU. The parking lot to the west of the Student Center became Potomac River Hall. The woods surround the Japanese Teahouse were leveled to make space for Parking Lot M. The Teahouse was removed from campus and became part of Newport News Park. The front entrance was pushed to the right to allow for the construction of York River Hall. A widening of Warwick Boulevard allowed for the creation of a tree-lined roadway.

The Shoe Lane reroute, named Avenue of the Arts, would open in late 2004. It cut off the first few hundred yards of Shoe Lane from Warwick Boulevard. A new road started from the Warwick/J. Clyde intersection, curved behind the Ferguson Center, and connected to the remainder of Shoe Lane and CNU’s entrance via a roundabout. The Avenue was bordered by earthen berms and shrubs to reduce noise to the nearby neighborhoods, while also blocking out Ferguson’s Parking Deck and support spaces.[60]

Roundabout, Ferguson Parking Deck,
and Avenue of the Arts, 2011

More sculptures were placed around campus. Following the Canada Geese fountain in Saunders Plaza, three other bronze works by Turner Sculpture were brought to campus: a flying bald eagle at Potomac River Hall, two herons at the York River Hall fountain, and a family of eagles in the Peebles Theater Lobby (originally known as the Music and Theater Hall). Along the Avenue of the Arts, a statue of Christopher Newport by Jon Hair was erected. In the center of the roundabout, an abstract Cararra marble piece entitled Elements by Inger Sannes was installed. At some point during this Age, campus’ first sculpture The Ships moved from standing behind Santoro to laying on the ground next to the school dumpsters.[61]

Alice's Garden in between the York's,
featuring herons by Turner Sculpture

The Ships by the school dumpsters, 2011

The tree of choice was pine, used in projects at the Ferguson and Potomac River Hall.

This is also where we start to get construction in the middle of campus, rather than on the edges, so their green tarp-covered/wooden fences start becoming a prominent feature on the campus landscape. While the fences might move, their presence was very permanent through many school generation cycles.

Green fences surrounding the still-open Science Building, 2010

NAMES

Age Four continued Age Three’s naming trends. During Age Four, East Campus was established, and with it, a new naming protocol. The residential apartment buildings across Warwick were named after U.S. Presidents that were born in Virginia. There have been eight so far, the most of any state – Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, and Wilson.

The Harbor Lights Dining Hall was renamed to the Hiden-Hussey Commons, after the Hiden and Hussey families gave CNU a block of land north of campus. This included the four-story SunTrust building, a single-story standalone bank, a post office, and a bowling alley.[62] (Rappohannock River Hall and CNU North currently occupy this block)

Following a lengthy renovation, the Captain John Smith Library was renamed the Paul and Rosemary Trible Library. This restarted the tradition of naming buildings after individuals/couples who had gone above-and-beyond for the University.



EXTRAS

Madison Hall caught on fire after being struck by lightning on August 4, 2006. As it was before the fall semester began, only ten students were in the building at the time. All were able to evacuate safely without any injuries. Portions of the third and fourth floors were damaged. There were initial hopes that CNU could repair what remained, rather than raze. However, after Tropical Storm Ernesto dumped enough rain to flood the Great Lawn, the building was too damaged by water and mold to be usable. Other than the foundation and the staircases at either end, the building was torn down and rebuilt with the same floorplan. The new Madison Hall opened Fall 2007.[63] Here is a video of some of the blaze: 

For the design of the Trible Library, Trible showed prospective architects an image of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome to inspire what he was going for in "dignity in architecture."[64]

The flying eagle sculpture in front of Potomac Hall was placed on a fully marble plinth. At some point, the marble started to crack under the statue's weight, and straps had to be wrapped around the marble to keep it together. In 2011, the statue received a new marble plinth, this time with the core of a steel beam to support the statue's weight.

Potomac Hall Eagle sculpture, 2010
Black straps around the marble plinth

Close-up on the straps and marble plinth
(and crack), 2010

New plinth on ground, waiting steel core installation
Old plinth still in place, with pieces broken off
Eagle behind scaffolding, placed on the ground by a crane (not in shot)

Next: CNU Architectural Ages: Age Five (2010 - Present) 

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[55] Holmes, H. Randolph, See the Dome: Exclusive Campus Tour of Christopher Newport University, 2 June 2018 [lecture and campus tour]; Brauer, William L., email correspondence with author, 14 October 2020.
[56] Howard, Hugh, Dr. Kimball and Mr. Jefferson: Rediscovering the Founding Fathers of American Architecture, Bloomsbury USA, 2011.
[57] Spillis Candela/ Warnecke, CNU Master Site Plan, 14 September 1998; DMJM Design, Christopher Newport University, Comprehensive Master Plan, https://schooldesigns.com/Projects/christopher-newport-university-comprehensive-master-plan/.
[58] Holmes, H. Randolph, See the Dome: Exclusive Campus Tour of Christopher Newport University, 2 June 2018 [lecture and campus tour].
[59] Donaghy, Tom, email correspondence with author, 20 February 2021; Brauer, William “Construction Projects Inventory - Trible Years,” [spreadsheet], 24 March 2023.
[60] Gabriele, Tony “Going Around In Circles Feels Just Like Old Times,” Daily Press, 12 December 2004; Jelonek, A.J. “The History of the Ferguson,” History Scout, 18 May 2022.
[61] Public Commissions, Turner Sculpture, accessed 5 December 2022, https://www.turnersculpture.com/commissions.htm; N.a. “University’s statue has history buffs up in arms,” The Virginian Pilot, 19 July 2007, https://www.pilotonline.com/news/columns/article_c43502b9-c71f-57e6-a9c9-a1c570b81174.html; N.a “BY GIVING STATUE A RIGHT ARM, WE WRONG HIS FEATS OF HEROISM,” Daily Press, 13 May 2007, https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20070513-2007-05-13-0705130006-story.html; “Elements – Inger Sannes,” Newport News Public Art Foundation, https://nnpaf.org/nnpaf-sculptures/elements/; Zagursky, Erin A “Ships run aground: new organization, students clash over memorial,” The Captain’s Log, 29 November 1999; Jelonek, A.J. “P1320251,” [Photo], 6 February 2011.
[62] Robinson, Tyrone, “Harbor Lights starts off new school year as Hiden-Hussey Commons,” The Captain’s Log, 14 September 2005.
[63] N.a. “CNU dorm must be razed after fire, water, mold damage,” The Virginian-Pilot, 28 September 2006; Forest, Angela “CNU MAY REBUILD, RATHER THAN RAZE, DORM,” Daily Press, 26 August 2006; MacSwain, Hillary “Two staircases mark rebuilding of Madison,” The Captain’s Log, 24 January 2007; Hutcheson, Jesse “Supershot,” The Captain’s Log, 6 September 2006; “Cerimele, Regina “A strike of bad luck for CNU,” The Captain’s Log, 30 August 2006.
[64] Holmes, H. Randolph, See the Dome: Exclusive Campus Tour of Christopher Newport University, 2 June 2018 [lecture and campus tour].

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.