WILLIAMSBURG — The restoration and repair project of the Sir Christopher Wren Building and President’s House at William & Mary has been expanded with additional funding.
Virginia Democrat U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner announced that a $416,207 grant from the National Park Service will be used to replace the west steps on the portico (courtyard) side of the Wren.
The money is addition to $12.9 million approved earlier by the Virginia General Assembly for the Wren to replace the roof and various water-related issues, associated repairs and restoration of areas of deterioration that need to be addressed.
Utilizing the Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures program, the funds were made through the Historic Preservation Fund, which uses revenue from federal offshore oil and gas leases to fund preservation projects without expending tax dollars.
“As the oldest college building still standing in the United States, the Wren Building at William & Mary has served countless generations of students, faculty and community members,” the senators said in a joint news release. “We’re glad to see this funding, which will help restore and preserve this National Historic Landmark, headed to Williamsburg.”
The work on the steps will begin over winter break and involves a complete rebuild of the steps, according to William & Mary spokesperson Suzanne Clavet. “The damage was known, but only within the last few years has the university come to understand the extremes of the damage.”
Repair work over the years, she said, “no longer sufficiently addresses the deeper structural concerns of the steps — including their foundation.”
Clavet said that while the steps do not appear to be big, “this project brings significant costs given the specialized nature of materials used, such as Portland limestone, meeting historic preservation standards and the specialized labor needed to support” the work.
For example, stonemasons and historic brick masons will be necessary for the construction of new steps as well as blacksmiths to support the wrought iron work.
The steps are not free-standing and are tied into the main building, so disassembling and rebuilding the steps “will require some work involving the exterior wall of the structure itself,” Clavet added.
The total Wren Preservation Project will be completed in stages that started last fall with planning and assessment, according to Sean Hughes, associate vice president for business affairs.
Along with the steps, a major phase for the Wren will be the roof, which is slated to begin late in January. Hughes said the target date for completion is late 2025 before the American Revolution 250 commemoration begins in 2026.
W&M President Katherine Rowe moved out of the President’s House last year and is living in a temporary residence off campus in a home owned by the William & Mary Real Estate Foundation.
The Wren Building was completely restored — inside and outside — by John D. Rockefeller Jr. during 1928-1931, preliminary to the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg by the New York philanthropist. The exterior of the President’s House was restored at the same time.
The only other restoration of the Wren in the past 90 years was between the fall of 1999 and the spring of 2001. Called the “Wrenewal,” the project including upgrading of the electrical and plumbing systems. There also was repair and stabilization work on the walls and foundation.
Wilford Kale, kalehouse@aol.com
