{"nrhp_refnum":"66000929","name":"Wren Building, College of William and Mary","other_names":["Old College Yard"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"College of William and Mary campus","address_restricted":false,"city":"Williamsburg (Independent City)","county":"Williamsburg","state":"VA","lat":37.27087921900005,"lon":-76.7089345220217,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1960-10-09","areas_of_significance":["Education"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Old College Yard at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, centered on the Wren Building (Old College), begun in 1695, with The Brafferton (1723) and the President's House (1736) beside it.","why_significant":"The yard and its buildings form the physical plant of the second oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. They reflect colonial aspirations for Anglican-linked higher education and the effort to educate Native Americans. They are early examples of Georgian architecture in the colonies, and their 1928-30 restoration was Colonial Williamsburg's first, a landmark in American preservation.","narrative":"The Old College Yard occupies a triangular lawn at the western end of Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg. Its centerpiece is the Old College, commonly called the Wren Building, begun in 1695 and rebuilt after fires in 1705, 1859 and 1862. Beside it stand The Brafferton, built in 1723 for the college's Indian School, and the President's House, built by Henry Cary, Jr. in 1736 and used continuously as the presidents' residence. The buildings represent the second oldest institution of higher learning in the country, founded to train ministers and to educate Native American students with funds from Robert Boyle's bequest. They are also early examples of Georgian design in the colonies. In 1928 the Old College became the first building restored by Colonial Williamsburg's architects, Perry, Shaw & Hepburn, who relied on the Bodleian plate to return the exterior to its 1716 appearance. Reconstructed outbuildings and a brick wall complete the yard.","period_of_significance":"1928-1930","architect_builder":"Various (see description); includes Henry Cary, Jr. (The Brafferton, President's House), Perry, Shaw & Hepburn (restoration)","architectural_style":"Georgian (early Renaissance/Georgian style in the colonies)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition rated excellent and occupied; the Old College interiors are shown as museum rooms, The Brafferton houses administrative offices, and the President's House is still a presidential residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.633679-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/74/6791/41679174/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/66000929_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000929/a87a195f5d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000929/a87a195f5d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"benuski from Richmond, VA, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Wren_Building_(3501325643).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">benuski from Richmond, VA, USA</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Wren_Building_(3501325643).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679174","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wren_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8037738"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/williamsburg/wren-building-college-of-william-and-mary-66000929/"}