William & Mary College, Main Bulding, College Yard, Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

Significance: The construction of this main building of the College of William and Mary was begun in 1695. It is the oldest known college structure extant in the country and has been attributed to Sir Christopher Wren because of the following paragraph from Hugh Jones, The Present State of Virginia, (Londaon: J. Clarke, 1724). "The building is beautiful and commodious, being first modeled by Sir Christopher Wren, adapted to the nature of the country by the gentlemen there; and since it was burnt down, it has been rebuilt, and nicely contrived, altered and adorned by the ingenious direction of Governor Spotswood, and is not altogether unlike Chelsea Hospital." The date of the first fire was 1705, and the structure was rebuilt by 1716. The second building burned and was rebuilt twice between 1859 and 1869. Each rebuilding took place within the original walls. Between 1928 and 1931 the building was restored to its 1716 appearance by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Additional major interior restoration work was done in 1968. The building is owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Survey number: HABS VA-401
Building/structure dates: 1695 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1716 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1859 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1869 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1931 Subsequent Work