A Campus for the Fourth Century: A Master Plan for the College of William and Mary in Virginia

Abstract

This thesis presents a multi-stage master plan for the College of William and Mary in Virginia a 310-year-old small public university intimately linked to a historically important colonial town. The thesis seeks to "heal" damage created by poor post-World War II planning through selective building additions and demolitions, and investigates how and where to appropriately construct new buildings. Demolition and replacement of buildings that are determined not to support the College's mission are investigated. This thesis explores how campus planning, individual buildings, and detailing combine to give a campus its "character" and support its academic mission. These investigations culminate with the presentation of a "New" Campus that exists as an inevitable extension of the old and respects the surrounding town to which it is historically bound.