Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall is a multi-use building at the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...

in Williamsburg,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, United States. It contains the largest

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...

on the campus, containing two floors of seating. The building is home to art shows, musical acts, theatre, assemblies and guest speakers.

History

In 1957, Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall opened its doors and became the first building on the College’s "new campus." PBK Hall was originally in a different building on campus but had burned down in a fire in 1953. The name comes from the

Phi Beta Kappa Society The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ar ...

, which was the first academic honor society created in the United States. It was founded at the College in 1776.

1976 presidential debate

Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall was the site of the third and final presidential debate between candidates

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

( D) and

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

( R) in the 1976 Presidential election. The debate occurred on October 22 and was moderated by

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (born September 25, 1929) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, Walters appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including ...

. Panelists included journalist

Joseph Kraft Joseph Kraft (September 4, 1924 – January 10, 1986) was an American journalist. Career Kraft began his career in journalism at the age of 14 where he worked as a stringer covering high school sports for the New York World-Telegram. Kraft wo ...

, ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' reporter Jack Nelson, and ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' reporter

Robert Maynard Robert Maynard (19 September 1684 – 4 January 1751) was a British lieutenant, and later captain, in the Royal Navy. Little is known about Maynard's early life, other than he was born in England in 1684 and then later joined the English Navy. ...

Demolition and renovation

In 2019, the aging building began demolitions, with much of the brick and concrete construction being removed by the end of the summer. However, budgetary constraints forced the halt of the demolitions, leaving portions of the steel super-structure still visible. The continuation of the demolition and the construction of the new fine and performing arts center was delayed through until early summer 2020 while awaiting state funding. The original completion date was scheduled for 2021.

References

External links

The College of William & Mary

Overview of 1976 Presidential Debates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall 1957 establishments in Virginia College of William & Mary buildings Cultural infrastructure completed in 1957 Theatres completed in 1957