The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Fletcher Hall

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Fletcher Hall (June 2003), Sweet Briar College

Institution Name: Sweet Briar College
Original/Historic Place Name: Fletcher Hall
Location on Campus: 115 Quad
Date(s) of Construction:

1925	original construction Cram, Ralph Adams

Designer: Ralph Adams Cram
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Beaux-Arts classicism, Other (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, education, history
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: poured concrete

Walls: brick

Roof: hip with slate and semi-flat

Function:

1925-present (2006)	auditorium
1925-present (2006)	faculty offices
1925-present (2006)	administration
1925-present (2006)	classrooms
1925-present (2006)	academic department building (art)

Narrative:
Fletcher Hall was erected in 1925 during the second building campaign at Sweet Briar College and is located at the western end of campus on the site designated in the 1902 plan for the Art Building. With its columned loggia above an arcade and balustraded roof line, Fletcher appears to be a twin of Academic (Benedict). Some of the wood trim used around the windows is different from that of Academic, and the treatment of the cornice and windows was simplified. The buildings differ mostly in their respective architectural details. Like Academic, Fletcher was built to house administrative offices and classrooms. The interior features a central entrance hall with handsome Georgian revival paneling. With the construction of Fletcher, administrative offices were removed from Academic, freeing up space to be used for science laboratories, lecture halls, and art studios.

President Meta Glass began her administration in a new office in Fletcher Hall. Offices of the staff were located in the center of the main floor with classrooms flanking each side. Additional classrooms and faculty offices were located on the two upper floors. An auditorium and a supply closet were on the ground floor. In the early years, most of the college concerts were performed in this auditorium. Today, administrative offices, classrooms, and the Honors Center are located in this building.

(Ralph Adams Cram as College Architect: An Historicist's Approach, p. 39-40).

References:

Harnsberger, Douglas. Historic Structures Report. Sweet Briar, VA: Sweet Briar College, 1997.

Henry, Geoffrey B. Sweet Briar College Historic District. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1995.

Sasaki Associates Inc. Master plan. [Watertown, MA: Sasaki Associates Inc.], 1997.