Composite Map Makes Locating

Early CNC at CNU Easy

by A. Jane Chambers

MAP provided by Bill Brauer

          Have you ever wondered where the CNC you knew and loved is? All of the buildings except one were demolished, and the one still there has changed so much inside and out that you might not recognize it. But a special map shown here will help you find the CNC campus you remember. CNU’s recently retired Executive Vice President, William L. (Bill) Brauer, also a CNC alumnus, provided this composite map below, which accurately shows exactly where the original CNC campus was (black & white aerial photo) in relation to the current CNU campus (buildings in blue overlay). He limited the map to the area that housed the old campus, so it does not show all of the present campus.

           The divided road (double white lines) at the bottom right corner is the last part of The Avenue of the Arts, the main entrance to CNU, which begins at the Warwick Blvd. and J. Clyde Morris Blvd. intersection. The roundabout (white circle) crosses where Shoe Lane once was. The part of Shoe Lane which went to Warwick Blvd. (double yellow lines, top right corner) is gone, but the part to the left on the map is still there.

          The Avenue of the Arts ends at Trible Library (blue building 28), which sits precisely where Smith Hall and Captain John Smith Library once sat (visible beneath the blue). Completed in 1967, Smith was CNC’s fourth building. The very light blue rectangle on the right end is the Smith Library addition of 1979, now replaced by a large Trible Library extension.

          Left of the library on this map is David Student Union (blue building 7). It sits where over half of the ellipse was—the traffic circle that originally served also as the faculty/staff parking area. Visible also are the original Shoe Lane entrance and the driveway to the campus which once doubled as a parallel parking area for the students.

          Directly facing David (7) is the large science building Forbes Hall (blue building 9), named after the mother of the late Dr. Sarah Forbes, a major CNU benefactor. At the right end of Forbes, on the Great Lawn, and facing David, you can clearly see the three roofs of Christopher Newport Hall (photo above, with ellipse), the first CNC Building, opened in Fall, 1964, and demolished in 2008. The large dark rectangle under the right wing of Forbes is the New Science Building built behind Newport in 1984.

          Blue building 11, behind Forbes Hall, is the 2-story part of Gosnold Hall (photo below), used primarily at CNU for storage until demolished in July of 2019. A photo article on its demolition is in our website ARCHIVES, sub tab YOUR NEWS. Completed in 1965, Gosnold was CNC's second building, housing the sciences.

          Blue building 25, left of Gosnold (11), is CNU's Ratcliffe Hall, created by renovating and extending to the left the original Ratcliffe Gymnasium, CNC’s third building, completed in Fall, 1967, shortly before completion of Smith. Beneath the number 25 you can see the original building. with its square roof. CNU's Ratcliffe Hall now primarily houses numerous offices, including many offices of faculty members.

          To the right of Forbes is Luter Hall (building 16), home of CNU's School of Business. CNU’s close connection with Smithfield Foods is evident in the name of this building and Pope Chapel (number 22, near the campus entrance). Both Mr. Luter and Mr. Pope are major CNU benefactors. The dark thin rectangle under the number 16 is Wingfield Hall (photo above), the fifth and last building of CNC’s first decade, completed in 1970. All five were named after the captains in the 1607 Jamestown expedition.

          Between Luter Hall (16) and Trible Library (28) was the first 4-story building at CNC, the Administration Building (blue 2), opened in December of 1980. On that exact spot now stands another 4-story building, named (appropriately so) Christopher Newport Hall. On the third floor of that impressive building is the Cunningham Welcome Center, where every new student at CNU learns about CNC's first president, H. Westcott (Scotty) Cunningham, and Christopher Newport College of the College of William and Mary.

          You can copy and paste this article if you want to keep it for reference when next you are on the CNU campus.

WILLIAM L. (BILL) BRAUER has a special connection with the people and history of the early decades of Christopher Newport. His father, Harrol A. Brauer, Jr., served the College from 1973 on the President’s Advisory Council, appointed by then President James C. Windsor. The year that Bill earned his BA in Business at CNC, 1977, his father became the first Rector of the newly independent College. In 1978, Bill’s wife, Michelle, also earned her degree at CNC, in Management Information Science (MIS). Bill’s service to Christopher Newport began in 1992, when he became VP of Administration and Finance. He held the post of Executive Vice President from 1996, appointed at the beginning of Paul Trible’s Presidency, until retirement in 2021.