Woodburn Circle
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Woodburn Circle, also known as W.V.U. Quadrangle, is part of the downtown campus of
West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...
; it's located at Morgantown,
Monongalia County, West Virginia Monongalia County, known locally as Mon County, is located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,822, making it West Virginia's third-most populous county. Its county seat is at Morgantown. The coun ...
. The circle, in reality a quadrangle grouped around an oval path, is a historic and distinctive architectural assembly of three collegiate buildings, which evolved in the late nineteenth century. In chronological order these are Martin Hall, Woodburn Hall and Chitwood Hall. However, it's the largest of the buildings, Woodburn Hall, that is best known and a symbol of the university. The circle's Martin Hall is West Virginia University's oldest campus building and was constructed in 1870 as University Hall, and renamed Martin Hall in 1889. The circle's centerpiece, what is now Woodburn Hall, was finished in 1876, under the name New Hall. The circle finally became complete with the addition of Chitwood hall in 1893. Woodburn Circle was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1974.


Woodburn Hall

Woodburn Hall, first known as University Hall, is the central and dominating building of Woodburn Circle. It was built between 1874 and 1876, and like its neighbor, the earlier Martin Hall, is in a predominantly red brick Second Empire style building under a mansard roof. It is considered one of the finest examples of Second Empire architecture in the State of West Virginia. Designed by Morgantown architect Elmer F Jacobs, the building is of four floors; the first being a pale stone rustic, contrasting with the red brick above, and the third: an attic floor contained within the mansard roof. The principal facade is dominated by an
Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...
central
belvedere tower Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to: Places Australia *Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region Africa * Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco *Belvedere, Harare, Zi ...
surmounted by a square based dome, which since 1910 has contained the Seth Thomas clock, originally in the cupola of Martin Hall.WVU Today
Retrieved 25 September 2014.
Secondary flanking wings, also designed by Jacobs, extending the facade, and two further towers were built between 1900 and 1911. The initial cost of building the hall, $41,500, was funded by a state property tax, levied at a rate of five cents per $100 of property In 2010, the building was subject to a $3.9 million restoration project; this included a new roof, the replacement the long lost iron
finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...
s to the towers and the implementation of modern safety features, not considered necessary in the nineteenth century. Since its completion, the building has had many uses. As one of the university's iconic buildings, it has seen the inaugurations of the University presidents and been the setting for the reception of US presidents. Since the turn of the twentieth century it has houses the College of Arts and Sciences. The hall's name references Woodburn Female Seminary, a school originally located on the West Virginia University campus.


Martin Hall

Martin Hall was built in 1870 at a cost of $22,855, and is the oldest building in Woodburn Circle. It is constructed of brick and has a mansard roof with
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
shingles. The architecture is of the Second Empire Eclectic style, with two principal floors, plus an attic floor and a rusticated
semi-basement In architecture, a semi-basement is a floor of a building that is half below ground, rather than entirely such as a true basement or cellar. Traditionally, semi-basements were designed in larger houses where staff was housed. A semi-basement us ...
. The facade has nine bays, the central bay being slightly projected with a narrow
Venetian window A Venetian window (also known as a Serlian window) is a large tripartite window which is a key element in Palladian architecture. Although Sebastiano Serlio (1475–1554) did not invent it, the window features largely in the work of the Italian a ...
at its centre on the first floor. The roof is surmounted by a wooden octagonal
cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fro ...
crowned with an
onion dome An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the tholobate upon which they sit, and their height usually exceeds their width. These bulbous structures taper smoothly to a point. It is a typ ...
. The cupola was originally adorned with the Seth Thomas clock, which today is housed in the central tower of Woodburn Hall. As late as 1910, photographs show that Martin Hall originally had a central projecting pillared stone porch resembling a closed
porte cochere Porte may refer to: *Sublime Porte, the central government of the Ottoman empire *Porte, Piedmont, a municipality in the Piedmont region of Italy *John Cyril Porte, British/Irish aviator *Richie Porte, Australian professional cyclist who competes ...
; this has been removed and replaced by more simple arched entrance, which reflects that of the later Chitwood hall opposite.Morgantown By Shannon Colaianni Tinnell, Arcadia Publishing, 2011. p79. This alteration was probably a belated attempt to provide some unity between the buildings flanking the very symmetrical facade of Woodburn Hall Martin Hall commemorates Rev. Alexander Martin, the first president of West Virginia University., and is today home to the university's Reed College of Media.


Chitwood Hall

Chitwood Hall, the newest of the three building, was originally known as Science Hall. It was built in 1893 and is a three-story brick building designed in a loose Queen Anne style with a Venetian influence, which makes it architecturally at odds with its two neighbors. The principal facade is of six bays, the central four bays are recessed; the projection of the two terminating bays is accentuated by brick
quoining Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th century encyclopedia, t ...
. The ground and first floors, separated from the floors above them by pale stone banding, are pierced by a massive segmented entrance in the manner of a portal to a Venetian palazzo. Behind this portal, broad stairs rise immediately to the first floor as if those entering may need to escape the rising waters of the Grand Canal. The second floor, which has tall segmented windows, has the external appearance of a
piano nobile The ''piano nobile'' (Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ''bel étage'') is the principal floor of a palazzo. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the hou ...
; this is accentuated by a projecting iron central balcony over the entrance below. Originally, the segmented windows of this story were shorter with blind brick recesses beneath them; however, they have since been extended into the recesses and now reach to the floor. The windows of the top floor are far shorter than those of the floors below and the rhythm of the fenestration is faster, being two windows to each of those on the floors below. Originally the central recess on this floor formed an open
loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...
, this would have continued the Venetian
palazzo A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
theme of the balcony above a massive portal below; this loggia has now been closed and glazed to match the flanking windows. The building has a
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
shingled hipped roof with dormer. The hall was renamed in 1972, in honor of Dr. Oliver P. Chitwood. Chitwood Hall is now home to the university's Department of Foreign Languages.


References

{{National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia West Virginia University campus University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Monongalia County, West Virginia Historic districts in Monongalia County, West Virginia Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Clock towers in West Virginia