Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

PROPOSAL FOR THE ESTBALISHMENT OF A CULTURAL CENTER AT THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY

At a time such as this when material concerns have to so large an extent taken precedence over the things of the spirit there is a need for organizations or institutions which will provide cultural leadership. In view of its illustrious past it seems fitting that the College of William and Mary attempt to assume such leadership. It appears that it is already striving to do this. The plan to inaugurate here a course dealing with the humanities is one indication of this. The joint sponsorship by the College and Colonial Williamsburg, Inc. of the Institute of Early American History and Culture is another. The intention of expanding, in the near future, the facilities for the study of the fine arts is a still further indication of a desire on the part of the College to provide at William and Mary a soil friendly to the growth of cultural things.

The writers of this paper have for some time felt that a certain additional step might be taken in this direction and it is their purpose to prevent this idea here. Briefly, the plan comprehends the dedication of the Wren Building to the uses of what might be termed a "cultural center" and, to supplement the facilities of the structure, the enlargement of the Wren Building in accordance with a plan originally conceived by its late-17th-century builders and later given definite form in a proposal of Thomas Jefferson.

A QUADRANGLE INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL PROGRAM FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WREN BUILDING

It will be of use to review the facts which we have relating to the above-mentioned enlargement,^* which we know was to have consisted in the construction of wings adjoining the Great Hall and the Chapel, which would have resulted in the creation of an enclosed court or quadrangle.-

The following excerpt from a letter written on April 22, 1697 by the trustees appointed to supervise the building of the College to Governor Sir Edmond Andros, indicates, as we have said, that the quadrangle or "square" was a part of the original design of the buildings:

...we doe humbly certify to ^{yr Excly} that we have carried on the building of two sides of the designed square of the Colledge (^wch was all wee judged wee had money to goe through with) and have brought up the walls of the Said building to the roof ^wch hope in a short time will be finished...."

In his History & Present State of Virginia (London, 1705; Book IV, p. 32) Robert Beverly makes still clearer the fact that the original conception of the builders of the College embraced the construction of a rectangular building or complex of buildings enclosing an open court:

43. The [College] Building is to consist of a Quadrangle, two sides of which, are yet only carryed up. In this part are already finished all conveniences of Cooking, Brewing, for the Reception of the President, and Masters, with many more Scholars than are as yet come to it; in this part are also the Hall, and School-Room.

"2 SIDES

We are not certain as to why the quadrangle was not completed when the Wren building proper with its chapel and refectory was built, but, - 3 - judging by the evidence in the trustees' letter, it was probably a lack of sufficient funds which prevented it at that time.

THOMAS JEFFERSON'S PLAN FOR THE ADDITION TO THE WREN BUILDING

The idea was not lost sight of, however, for Thomas Jefferson, who, we may assume, was acquainted with the original building project, at the request of Lord Dunmore, between 1771-1772 drew up a plan (now in the Huntington Library) for the completion of the quadrangle. A photographic copy of this plan is shown on the following page. In it Jefferson shows the complete building complex-the part which existed at that time (the Wren Building and its two dependent wings as it stands today) and the contemplated addition. It will be observed that the addition roughly approximated in size the structure already erected. It should be noted further that Jefferson intended that the arcade of the west porch of the Wren Building be continued about the court, and that a transverse passage be provided through the center of each wing to permit the crossing of the quadrangle in a north-south direction.

That the College authorities, by the latter part of 1772, had carried Jefferson's scheme to the threshold of execution became evident from the following notice which appeared in the Virginia Gazette on September 3 of that year:

The Visiters and Governors of the College intending to make an additional building to the College, have directed us, who are appointed a Committee for that purpose, to procure an exact estimate of the expense thereof, to be laid before them at their next meeting. Notice is therefore given, to all persons willing to undertake this work, that a Plan thereof JEFFERSON PLAN for an addition to the Wren Building of the College of William and Mary. This scheme was submitted to Lord Dunmore for approval 1772-1773. The building of this addition was abandoned in 1775 on account of the war, since the college then advertised for sale quantities of brick and other building materials.- 4 - is lodged with Mr. Matthew Davenport, who will be ready at all times to show the same, and to whom they are desired to send their Estimates and Proposals, sealed up, on or before the first Day of October next.

DUNMORE
PEYTON RANDOLPH
RO. C. NICHOLAS
LEWIS BURWELL
JOHN BLAIR

CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH CAUSED THE ABANDONMENT OF JEFFERSON'S PROJECT

In spite of the fact that preparations for the construction of the addition had progressed to the stage (as we have just seen) of advertising for bids on the job and (as we shall presently see) of assembling materials for it, Jefferson's plan, as we know, was never carried out. We do not have to search far for the reason; the oncoming Revolution, obviously, turned men's thoughts to other things. We have no record of the deliberations which led to relinquishing the project, but we do have notices concerning matters which were a consequence of it:

Agreed that the Society [Faculty] lend out to each person present 10 Pds. Nails^* of such sort as he chuses, giving to the Stewrd a Rect. for the same specifying the Quantity, provided that the new building be dropp'd for the present, & the College be not left without a sufficient quantity for ordinary uses, in which point we depend upon the Undertaker Mr. Saunders for information. (Faculty Minutes, November 1, 1775).

By 1780 the materials which had been assembled for the construction of the addition were being sold, as the following "ad" from the Virginia Gazette of September 13 and 20, 1780 indicates:

The College has for Sale a considerable quantity of scantling [timber under 5" square], originally intended for an additional building. Any person taking the whole which cost about five hundred pounds in 1775, may have it upon the most reasonable terms.

After this there are, in the records, no further references to the projected quadrangle. We may assume that, following the Revolution, with the capitol moved to Richmond (1779) and with the problems of rehabilitation and the fashioning of a government for the new commonwealth pressing upon men's minds, the idea simply dropped from sight. As for Thomas Jefferson-thoughts of a completely new and more extensive educational project were germinating in his mind, and these began, in 1804, to take on definite form in his scheme for an "academical village" at Charlottesville. It is of interest to note that in the building of the University of Virginia, Jefferson brought to realization, albeit on a much larger scale and in a manner somewhat different, the plan for the quadrangle which he had proposed earlier for the College of William and Mary.

REASONS FOR COMPLETING THE QUADRANGLE NOW

It is evident from the foregoing chain of historical references to the quadrangle project, first proposed at the close of the 17th century and resurrected and brought to the point of execution by Thomas Jefferson some three-quarters of a century later, that there is an excellent historical justification for carrying the idea to fulfillment now. Furthermore, the disposition of the structures in the vicinity of the Wren Building (the Library and the Phi Beta Kappa Hall) is such that there is ample space available in which to construct an extension to the main building of a size approximating that designed by Jefferson, without causing a crowding of the three buildings; the open areas intervening between them would still be spacious.

Considering the proposition, for the moment, from the standpoint of architectural planning alone, the creation at the rear of the Wren - 6 - Building of a cloistered court, if skillfully executed, would lend a distinction to the campus area west of the Wren Building which it now lacks and which would enable it to vie in beauty and interest with the triumvirate of old buildings defining the eastern approach to the College. Such an extension of the Wren Building might be considered seriously on this basis alone-as a very considerable enhancement of the total effect of the campus area west of the main building. There are, however, possible uses for the extension to the Wren Building which will furnish a far more important justification for its execution than either that provided by the building history of the College or the likelihood that it would greatly improve the campus architecturally. This has already been touched upon in the suggestion of utilizing the Wren Building and the proposed extension to house a "cultural center" for the College. It is now appropriate to discuss a program for such a cultural center-a program, which, of course, for the present, must remain tentative and exploratory only.

DETAILS OF THE PROPOSAL FOR THE CREATION OF A CULTURAL CENTER

The cultural center, as the writers of this paper conceive it, would constitute, so-to-speak, a college within the College. It would consist in a body of scholars and students gathered together for investigation and the interchange of ideas in the divers realms of human knowledge and creative activity-science, history, classical and later literature, the arts, the social sciences, political economy and the field of international relations, etc. Its aims would be to further exact scholarship and to apply the results of its investigations to the illumination of present day affairs and living. It would be national and international rather than local or Virginian in its personnel, interests and influence. - 7 - The regular family members of the College would, of course, be participants in the program, but, in addition to these, authorities in various fields--exchange professors and professors utilizing sabbatical leaves to engage in further study, scholars with grants, etc.--would gather here for longer or shorter periods for the purpose of mutual stimulation and collaborative study.

In considering the possible functions of such a cultural center and its relation to the normal educational activities of the College, one immediately recalls to mind the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton, and, closer by, the summer Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. The center would be in the College and yet only loosely connected with the normal functioning of the latter. As a matter of course, the existing Institute of Early American History and Culture would have its home here, and would be embraced in the program of the cultural center. The meetings of the local chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society would logically be held here, and it would be hoped that, in time, considering the circumstance that the organization was founded at William and Mary, the center might become the headquarters of the national organization.

COOPERATION OF THE CENTER WITH OTHER RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS

A cardinal aspect of the program of the center would be cooperation with learned societies and research institutions elsewhere-not alone in this country but also abroad. The center would share with them the fruits of its investigations and, in turn, receive from the aid and stimulation. Communication between the center and its collaborators in other places would not be limited to an exchange of documentary material, but would embrace, as - 8 - well, an exchange of personnel--that is, scholars of the center would sojourn for periods at other institutions for the purpose of establishing direct contact with investigators in those institutions and the latter would send their representatives here from time to time.

FACULTY AND STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CENTER

Unlike, in this respect, the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton, the center would welcome and encourage participation in its activities, not alone by members of the teaching staff of the College, but also, by those among the student body whose deeper interests and more serious attitudes would arouse in them the desire to take part in the work and attendant discussions of the center. Such participation on the part of undergraduate and graduate students would be wholly voluntary; no college credit would be earned by it, and it would be on a basis of equality with the older and more experienced scholars and investigators of the center. In this manner, these students would be vastly benefitted by contact, collaboration and fellowship with the maturer minds working at the center, and the older scholars, themselves, would, doubtless, receive stimulation in helping to guide and develop the capacities of promising young men and women.

The investigators of the center would, of course, make use, in their work, of the existing laboratory and other facilities of the College. They would have their private offices, on the other hand, in the buildings of the quadrangle. The Institute of Early American History and Culture would likewise have its offices in this central building. Important among other facilities to be provided would be a moderate-sized lecture hall and - 9 - several rooms for the conduct of seminar discussions. A lounge or sitting room for informal conversation and get-togethers should also be provided.

THE HOLDING OF CHANGING EXHIBITIONS AS IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF THE CENTER

A further important activity of the center, and one which would benefit the local college community particularly, would be that of organizing and presenting changing exhibitions of materials from the fields of science, art, literature, history, etc. The principle underlying these exhibitions would be to place them, so-to-speak, in the path of the students and scholars using the various facilities of the building-in and adjacent to corridor spaces or elsewhere where they would be most likely to attract attention and be examined. Spaces and facilities for these exhibitions would, of course, be especially provided. In designing these spaces, it should be aim to make them informal, non-museum-like in character, for experience has shown that this type of exhibit is the most effective in reaching large numbers of people.

THE BUILDING EXTERIOR A FULFILLMENT OF JEFFERSON'S SCHEME

Other facilities, naturally, would have to be provided in the quadrangle group and the nature of these would become clearer as the functions of the center became more clearly defined. As for the exterior of the addition to the Wren Building-this would closely approach in character the scheme proposed by Jefferson, with its arcade running along the sides of the court and continuing the existing arcade of the west front of the main building. Internally, it would be necessary to design the addition in such a manner as best to adjust the spaces to modern uses. Provision - 10 - should be made, indeed, for changing uses of the interior spaces, so that, consequently, flexibility of design would be imperative, and the latest knowledge in the field of architectural planning, engineering, and equipment should be drawn upon in the work.

THE CULTURAL CENTER AND THE QUADRANGLE HOUSING IT A FITTING MEMORIAL TO THOMAS JEFFERSON

The extension to the Wren Building, representing externally the fulfillment of a plan, if not originated, at least carried forward by a distinguished alumnus of the College (Thomas Jefferson), might fittingly be considered a memorial to him. A still more compelling reason, however, for dedicating this building to Jefferson would be the consideration that the primary purpose to which the structure would be devoted-free investigation and the discovery, thereby, of new truths in many fields of human knowledge-is an objective which Thomas Jefferson all the days of his own life pursued, and with which, we believe, were he living today, he would be in hearty accord.