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Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont » Richmond Metropolitan Area » Ginter Park and Virginia Union University » William Morton Smith Library

William Morton Smith Library

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1996, The Glave Firm (incorporating a 1922 chapel and classroom building by Baskervill and Son)

In its renovation of nearby Richmond Hall, a student dormitory that fronts the quadrangle, Glave reoriented the building to better address the heart of the campus. Similarly, in converting and enlarging a former chapel and classroom building for use as a new library, the architect placed the impressive building at the head of the quadrangle. Now a great tower entrance conducts an architectural conversation with the picturesque clock tower atop Watts Chapel at the opposite end of the campus. The building makes a strong case that historical styles (in this case Tudor) can be updated effectively for modern use. The interior atrium has soaring Gothic arches that lead the eye to a vaulted glass ceiling.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Richard Guy Wilson et al.
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Data

What's Nearby

Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond
Old Library
Watts Hall
Richmond Memorial Hospital (Laburnum House)
Gresham House

Citation

Richard Guy Wilson et al., "William Morton Smith Library", [Richmond, Virginia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/VA-01-RI347.3.

Print Source

Buildings of Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont, Richard Guy Wilson and contributors. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, 283-283.

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