Barrett Hall, 313 Jamestown Road, is located at the eastern intersection of Jamestown Road and Landrum Drive (formerly Old Campus Drive). Originally a dormitory for women, Barrett Hall became co-ed at the start of the 2005-2006 academic year.
Designed by College Architect Charles M. Robinson and built by J.T. Nuckols, Barrett Hall was constructed between 1926 and 1927.
In addition to students, it housed the J. Lesslie Hall Literary Society in the 1920s and a library run by the Y.W.C.A. in the 1930s. In 1945, the university opened a Chinese Room following a donation by Alice Aberdein of a large number of Chinese art and furnishings valued at over $40,000. Containing the finest collection of Chinese art and furnishings in the southern United States, students in search of good luck tossed pennies at the feet of a gold-leafed Buddha statue featured in the room.
Barrett Hall honors Kate Waller Barrett, the second woman to serve on the Board of Visitors. A prominent member in Virginia political and social circles, Barrett was a member in Phi Beta Kappa.
Barrett Hall was the first building on campus named after a woman.
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