The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Preston Hall

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Preston Hall (left, with Fitzhugh Hall on right), Belhaven College

Institution Name: Belhaven College
Original/Historic Place Name: Preston Hall
Location on Campus: 1500 Peachtree St.
Date(s) of Construction:

1911	originally built as one large building, which included Fitzhugh Hall
1927	original construction; August 15 - October 19 Lindsey, C. H.

Designer: C. H. Lindsey
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Beaux-Arts classicism (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, culture, education, engineering
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: pyramidal shape, brick and mortar

Walls: brick with stucco finish

Roof: 3 tab fiberglass shingles

Function:

ca. 1927	other (conservatory studios, science laboratory, faculty parlor, bookstore, Y.W.C.A. grill)
ca. 1927	residence hall
ca. 1927	classrooms
ca. 1927	chapel
1927-present (2006)	administration
ca. 2004-present (2006)	faculty offices

Narrative:
When Belhaven College came to occupy the Peachtree Street area in Jackson in 1911, having moved from an area close by when college buildings burned, one large building was constructed for the whole of the college. On August 9, 1927 part of this building was burned, and the college decided to raze the badly damaged central porition of the building and repair the two surviving wings into separate structures. These were named Fitzhugh and Preston Halls, after the first two presidents of the college; and a 30 x 60 ft. lagoon was built in the center of the two.

This area is the visual symbol of Belhaven College. Pictures of the area often appear on covers and inside college publications, and shots of this area from various angles often appear in local newspapers and magazines.

The architecture is attractive and typically "Southern." Significant educational and religious activities have taken place inside the classrooms and chapel, and the engineering feat of creating this whole area in sixty-six days in 1927 is historically important.

References:

Gordon, James F., Jr. A History of Belhaven College 1894 to 1981. Jackson, MS: Belhaven College, 1983.