The document provides background information on some of the oldest universities in Europe and North America. It discusses the founding dates and locations of universities such as the University of Bologna (1088), University of Oxford (1096), University of Salamanca (1134), and University of Cambridge (1209). It also summarizes the establishment of early universities in North America, including Harvard College (1636), The College of William & Mary (1693), and the development of the College of William & Mary from its initial charter in 1693. Photos and details are provided about historic buildings from several early universities.

1. Class 07 U. Va in Context
ARCH 416
Spring 15

2. Thomas Jefferson, Monticello,

3. comparison with Chiswick House

4. Villa Almerico (begun 1567)
comparison with Palladio, Villa Almerico

5. compare siting and elevation

6. University of Bologna (1088)
• Many universities
predate the nations
in which they are
currently located.
• University of
Bologna was
founded during the
Holy Roman Empire
(later, Italy).

7. University of Oxford (1096)
• England
• No clear founding date, but scholars were
present as early as 1096.

8. All Souls College, Oxford

9. Christchurch College, Oxford University

10. quadrangle completely enclosed

11. aerial view, showing part of Oxford University

12. University of Salamanca
• 1134
• Kingdom of Léon
• (later becomes Spain)

13. University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain

14. Library Interior, University of Salamanca

15. University of Cambridge (1209)
• England
• This is where John Harvard went to school.

16. Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University, England

17. Kings College, Cambridge University, England

18. oldest universities in North America
• Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de
Hidalgo (1543)
• NAUM (University of Mexico), Mexico City,
(1551)
• Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla
(1587)

19. oldest universities in USA
• Harvard College (1636)
• The College of William & Mary (1693)
• Yale College (1701)
• University of Pennsylvania (1740)
• Princeton College (1746)
• King's College (1754)

20. Harvard College
• Founded in 1636 and named for its first donor,
the Reverend John Harvard, graduate of
Cambridge.
• Charter dates to 1650.
• Training undergraduates for the ministry. Later
a college of medicine (1782), then law (1816)
and divinity (1817) were added at the
graduate level.

21. Charter of Harvard College, 1650

22. The Charter of the President and Fellows of Harvard College,
under the seal of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, and
bearing the date May 31st, A. D. 1650
Whereas, through the good hand of God, many well devoted
persons have been, and daily are moved, and stirred up, to
give and bestow, sundry gifts, legacies, lands, and revenues for
the advancement of all good literature, arts, and sciences in
Harvard College, in Cambridge in the County of Middlesex,
and to the maintenance of the President and Fellows, and for
all accommodations of buildings, and all other necessary
provisions, that may conduce to the education of the English
and Indian youth of this country, in knowledge and godliness:
It is therefore ordered, and enacted by this Court, and the
authority thereof, that for the furthering of so good a work
and for the purposes aforesaid, from henceforth that the said
College, in Cambridge in Middlesex, in New England, shall be a
Corporation, consisting of seven persons, to wit, a President,
five Fellows, and a Treasurer or Bursar:

23. Massachusetts Hall, 1720

24. Massachusetts Hall, 1720
• nice digs: designed for 64
students, with 32 bedchambers
and 64 private studies
• during Revolutionary War,
Continental Army was quartered
here
• they stripped the building of trim
and hardware
• http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/on
line_books/colonials-
patriots/sitec15.htm

25. The Case of Virginia: first try
• Virginia Company of London tried to establish
a "university" at Henrico on the James River
(about twelve miles below what is now
Richmond) in 1619.
• The Indian uprising of 1622 and the
revocation of the Virginia Company charter in
1624 intervened.

26. The Case of Virginia: second try
1691
Reverend James Blair, representative of the Church
of England in Virginia, was sent to London by the
General Assembly to secure a charter for a college.
February 8, 1693, King William III and Queen Mary
II granted a charter which established "a certain
Place of universal Study, a perpetual College of
Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and other good
Arts and Sciences, consisting of one President, six
Masters or Professors, and an hundred Scholars
more or less."

27. The Case of Virginia: second try
• Named for royal patrons
• Charter designated Blair as the first president and
provided an endowment to support the institution.
• Three schools created.
– Grammar School: boys 12-15 years old
– Philosophy school: advanced study of moral philosophy
(logic, rhetoric, ethics) and natural philosophy (physics,
metaphysics, and mathematics).
– Divinity School, where young men who had completed
their studies in the philosophy school could be prepared
for ordination in the Church of England.

28. Wren Hall
• Dec 1693: 330 acres of land purchased
• 1695: construction begins
• 1700: east and north wings completed
• Called “The College,” this was simultaneously
student dormitory, classroom building, dining
commons, library, and faculty housing. Even the
housed students and contained classrooms, a
dining room, a library, a faculty room, and living
quarters for the president and masters; a kitchen
and servants' rooms were located in the
basement..

29. Wren Hall, street side (1695-1700)
Sir Christopher Wren did NOT design this building, but the name stuck.

30. Wren Hall, back

31. Wren Hall, aerial

32. Wren Hall, afterlives in function
• 1699 colonial capital
moved from Jamestown
to Williamsburg
• The Wren Building, then
the largest structure in
the area, became the
main govt building from
1700 until 1704, when
the Capitol was
completed.

33. Wren Hall: afterlives in disaster
• 3 major fires:
• 1705: Accidental fire began in a
basement in the North Wing.
Reconstruction completed by
1716 with partial funds from
Queen Anne.
• 1859: After 2d fire, rebuilt in
fashionable Italianate design.
• 1862: Intentionally set by Union
troops during the Civil War.
• Each reconstruction incorporated
the surviving exterior walls, but
the overall look of the building
has varied considerably over time

34. Wren Hall in 1859

35. Connecticut Hall (1750-2)
Located on Yale’s
Old Campus, its
design was based on
Harvard’s
Massachusetts Hall.
Money to fund its
construction was
obtained through
the sale of a French
ship, captured
during King George’s
War.

36. James Gamble ROGERS
Yale University, Sterling Memorial Library, exterior, window detail, 1930

38. James Gamble Rogers (1867-1947)
Yale University, Sterling Memorial Library
interior, main hall

39. James Gamble ROGERS
Harkness Tower
Yale University
1931