The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

President's House

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President's House (front facade), University of Charleston

President's House (entrance), University of Charleston

President's House (rear view), University of Charleston

Institution Name: University of Charleston
Original/Historic Place Name: Young-Noyes House
Location on Campus: 2122 Kananwha Ave.
Date(s) of Construction:

1922	original construction Bengston, Ludwig Theodore

Designer: L. T. Bengston
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Colonial revival (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, culture, education, history, religion
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: concrete block

Walls: brick

Roof: currently ordinary roofing shingles, originally slate

Function:

ca. 1922	private residence
ca. 2004-present (2006)	president's house

Narrative:
At the time of its construction in 1922, the Young-Noyes House was the only substantial brick residence in the South Raffner hamlet, a scattering of small frame houses and buildings above the south bank of the Kanawha River. The first owners, Mr. and Mrs. Roger Atkinson Young, commissioned the house in the Colonial Revival style, reflecting the national taste in the early twentieth century for a return to early American architecture. T.L. Bengston, a local Charleston architect, designed the building. Today, its significance in the community is due to the beauty of its neoclassical architecture, its splendid location on the banks of the Kanawha River across from the state capitol, and its association with prominent Charlestonians.

Morris Harvey College, now the University of Charleston, purchased the house in 1951, and since then it has served continuously as the president's house. It also serves as a social center for the community and as a fitting location for events focused on donor relations and student recruitment.

The President's Home is on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been continuously occupied as a residence since its construction (1922) and is in excellent condition.

References:

Collins, Rodney S. Young-Noyes House [University of Charleston]. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1991.

Dalporto, Jeannie. "At Home with the Welches." West Virginia Quarterly 2, no. 2 (Summer 1997): 38-41.

"The President's House--A Home, and More, for 70 Years." Maroon & Gold 1, no. 4 (Fall 1991): 10-11.

Welch, Janet G. "University of Charleston President's Home." Manuscript. May 14, 1993. President's Office, University of Charleston, Charleston, WV.