Robert Thornton Marsh Hall
Site: North side of Westhampton Lake, between Wood Hall and Moore Hall
Dedication: September, 1970, called Lakeside Dormitory
Architect: Carneal & Johnston
Size: 48,274 square feet
Rededication: May 13, 1973 as Marsh Hall
Renovation: August 2002
Marsh Hall follows the University’s standard for Collegiate Gothic architecture. It has four stories and was designed to house 280 students. At the time it was built, it was the largest men’s residence hall. The building opened in September 1970 and was known as Lakeside Dormitory. Mrs. Ester Browne was the housemother for the new dormitory. It was rededicated on May 13, 1973 in honor of Robert T. Marsh, Jr. a 1922 graduate of Richmond College, University Trustee (1953-1973) and Rector (1958-1973). Part of the exterior of the second and third floor of the building is covered in stucco and wood, giving Marsh Hall an Elizabethan look.
In a November 20, 1970 article in the Collegian, Dr. Modlin reported that a Student Planning Association was “recommending the abolition of the coordinate educational system which, they said, is antiquated. In addition to more coed dining rooms, they also requested Lakeside dormitory to be made coeducational.”
Marsh Hall is one of three men’s residence halls that have become women’s residence halls with the implementation of Recommendation 8 of UR’s Strategic Plan. Its previous reputation as Richmond’s “Animal House,” may have been exaggerated.
The Virginia Baptist Historical Society’s files provide information on some events in the building’s history. On April 28, 1984, the last day of the spring semester, there was a two-alarm fire in the hall. The fire, which caused $50,000 in damage, was started by a firecracker burning in a couch; a second floor room was gutted. Other floors sustained smoke and water damage. On November 11, 1988, a fire broke out in a lounge, it apparently started in a television or VCR. All the students were evacuated, and damage to the building was estimated at $12,000.
In August 2002, Marsh Hall became a women’s residence hall. The building was extensively renovated, with new carpeting and tiles installed and walls, stairways, and exterior woodwork repainted. Thirteen showers were rebuilt. Air conditioning and a new sprinkler system were installed.
Sources:
UR website
VBHS building file
Collegian 1970