Playhouse
Site: The northeast side of the lake on the current site of Boatwright Memorial Library
When Richmond College purchased the former Westhampton Park in 1910, there were several buildings standing on the property that had been a part of the former amusement park. One of these was the Westhampton Park Casino, a two storied open pavilion for dancing and dining. When funds were not available for building a chapel-auditorium on the site where the casino stood, the building committee for the new campus decided to enclose the pavilion and use it for the needed chapel-auditorium.
From 1914 to 1925, commencement ceremonies for both Richmond College and Westhampton College were held in the building. In June 1918, the Playhouse became a barracks for enlisted men serving in World War I, and a second floor was added. After the war, the building was again used as a chapel until Cannon Memorial Chapel was completed in 1929.
The Playhouse was used at various times as an auditorium, gym, office space, and theater for both Richmond College and Westhampton College. After Science Hall was destroyed by fire in 1925, the science departments moved to the Playhouse. They remained there until the new science buildings (Puryear, Maryland, and Richmond Halls) were completed between 1927 and 1933. The University Players performed in the building throughout the 1940s.
On November 19, 1950, a fire destroyed the stage and backstage area of the Playhouse. The building was used to a limited extent afterwards. After the January 1951 fire at the Student Shop, the Slop Shop was moved into the west wing of the Playhouse under the balcony, extending from the Messenger office to just in front of the stage. Eventually the Slop Shop and the post office were moved into the building that is now called Weinstein Hall when it opened in 1951. When the Playhouse was torn down in 1953 to begin work on Boatwright Memorial Library, the Richmond Times Dispatch referred to it as “the oldest landmark on campus.”
Sources:
Rosenbaum, Claire Millhiser. A Gem of a College: The History of Westhampton College, 1914-1989
VBHS building file
Reports from the Committee on New Building, 1914 (VBHS)
The Collegian, December 1, 1950; 12 January 1951