Hunt Hall

From Special Collections Research Center Wiki

Hunt Hall, presently a co-ed freshman dormitory at the College of William and Mary, is located at the intersection of Grigsby Drive and South Boundary Street. It was formerly an infirmary and college hospital.

In 1930, plans were presented to the Board of Visitors for a new infirmary and a contract was awarded to J.W. Davis of Newport News, Virginia for $69,630 for its construction. The building was completed by September 5 that same year. The college hospital was a two and a half story brick building, measuring 135 feet by 60 feet, with the south side designated for women and the north side for men. There were some individual rooms but most of the space was made into wards. The central portion between the men's and women's sections were rooms for nurses, diet kitchens, and reading rooms. Sun porches were located on the upper decks of each end of the building. The building was designated on June 8, 1934 as the David King Infirmary.

The infirmary was used for men in 1938 until 1965 when the second and third floors were converted into dormitory rooms. The infirmary was renamed James Madison Hall in 1973 and was fully converted into a residence hall. The following year, in 1974, a new David King Infirmary (see Infirmaries) was built and the former college hospital was renamed once more after Althea Hunt, a legendary theatre faculty member, and is now referred to as Hunt Hall.

References

• University Archives Buildings File (2007), Infirmaries, Earl Gregg Swem Library, The College of William and Mary.

Need help?

To search for further material, see Finding Materials in the SCRC for an introduction to the SCRC Collections Database, card catalogs, Flat Hat-William & Mary News-Alumni Gazette index, etc.

Questions? Contact the SCRC at spcoll@wm.edu or 757-221-3090, or visit the Special Collections Research Center in the Earl Gregg Swem Library at the College of William and Mary (hours). Contact information for individual staff members is available.

A Note About The Contents Of This Wiki

The information available in this wiki is the best available from known documents and sources at the time it was written. Unfortunately, many of the early original records of the College of William and Mary were destroyed by fire, military occupation, and the normal effects of time. The information available here is the best available from known documents and sources at the time it was written. Information in this wiki is not complete as new information continues to be uncovered in the SCRC's collections and elsewhere. Researchers are strongly encouraged to use the SCRC's access tools for their research as the information contained in this wiki is by no means comprehensive.