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The slide features a view of East elevation of the Wren Building. One of the oldest academic structures in the United States, the Wren Building retains a large portion of its original outside walls, despite being damaged by several fires in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The statue of Lord Botetourt stands in the foreground. It serves as a focal point on the path leading towards the building whose features are thought to be based upon an adaptation of a Sir Christopher Wren design. Due to preservation concerns, the statue has since been moved to an indoor location.]]>
During the Civil War, the Wren Building caught fire on September 8, 1862. Although this blaze was extinguished, a group of Union soldiers incensed by a Confederate raid re-ignited the fire on September 9th. The entire interior burned and only a shell of the exterior walls remained. This photo shows the reconstructed version completed after the conclusion of the war.

The Botetourt Statue survived the war despite vandalism and skirmishes taking place around it.

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The statue of Lord Botetourt serves as a focal point on the path leading towards the Wren Building, whose features are thought to be based upon an adaptation of a Sir Christopher Wren design. Due to preservation concerns, the statue has since been moved to an indoor location. The Wren Building is one of the oldest academic structures in the United States, and retains a large portion of its original outside walls, despite being damaged by several fires in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

(Source: Special Collections Research Center web page, "Lord Botetourt," The College of William and Mary's Earl Gregg Swem Library/Special Collections Research Center, 9 December 2013, <http://scdb.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/Lord_Botetourt> [accessed 12 March 2014]). ]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]>