Christopher Wren Building

October 2016 - Williamsburg VA

The Sir Christopher Wren Building at the College of William & Mary in Virginia is the oldest college building still standing in the United States and the oldest of the restored public buildings in Williamsburg. 

It was constructed between 1695 and 1700, before Williamsburg was founded, when the capital of the colony of Virginia was still located at Jamestown, and the tract of land between the James and York rivers which was to become Williamsburg was populated by crude timber buildings and known as "Middle Plantation."

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The Wren Building has been gutted by fire three times—in 1705, 1859 and 1862. Each time the interior of the structure was rebuilt, and for more than three centuries, it has been "the soul of the College." In the building, generations of William & Mary students have attended classes and lectures, enjoyed meals and attended chapel services. Classes are still held in the Wren Building, which also is home to several faculty offices.

Tradition has it that the building was designed by the famed English architect Sir Christopher Wren who designed St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

About 330 acres of land were purchased in December 1693, and the first bricks for the main building were laid in 1695. By 1700 the east and north wings of what was planned to be a quadrangular structure had been essentially completed. This first college building housed students and contained classrooms, a dining room, a library, a faculty room, and living quarters for the president and masters; a kitchen and servants' rooms were located in the basement.