Tyler Haynes Commons
Site: Spanning northeast end of Westhampton Lake
Opening: September, 1976
Dedication: April 22, 1977
Naming Ceremony: December 13, 1984 (named Tyler Haynes Commons)
Architect: Charles Nixon
Designer: John Powell of Caudill, Rowlett, and Scott
Size: Approx. 65,000 square feet
Cost: $4.7 million, plus $200,000 for original furnishings
In March 1973, Dr. William H. Leftwich, Director of Student Services initiated a planning effort to outline the goals and priorities for a new University Commons building. He expected the planning effort to take about a year and half and wanted to begin in order to be positioned to move forward with the project once funds became available. Dean Richard A. Mateer was named the coordinator of the University Commons Steering Committee. Caudill, Rowlett and Scott, known as CRS, of Houston, Texas was hired to be the architectural firm. Steering committee members, and representatives of CRS started meeting with alumni, representatives of campus organizations and students to collect information and ideas in early November 1973. Building planning began shortly thereafter. Construction Management Associates was hired to manage the bidding process and supervise the contractors. Lucky McCombs was the site superintendent for the company.
In January 1974 barges were floated on Westhampton lake and twelve test borings were taken to determine the consistency of the lake bed. In February 1974 a large group of residents near the campus raised strong objections to what they believed would be serious traffic problems created as a result of the construction project. The Richmond Board of Zoning Appeals postponed their decision for 30 days to allow time for discussion. A zoning exception was needed to construct the Commons because of its height. Representatives of the Three Chopt Road Civic Associate were the most outspoken against the building. In March 1974 the University received an unconditional permit to begin construction after Rector Lewis T. Booker agreed to the closing of Ridgeway Road and Roselawn Road east of the campus.
The lake was drained in August 1974 to remove silt in preparation for the construction project. Officials expected to find two to three feet of silt but found closer to ten feet. Students were cautioned to stay off of the lakebed.
In February 1975 the bridge across the lake was closed for pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Pedestrian traffic was routed in front of the chapel, down by the Steam Plant, and up near where Gottwald Science Center stands today. Vehicles had to drive around the outside of campus. William F. Rhodes, business manager, estimated that nearly 400 cars drove across the bridge every day. In much earlier days, up until the early 1940s, a gate was installed on the bridge. It was locked every night based on campus curfew rules.
Frequent rainfall in the summer of 1975 caused delays in the project. Eleven inches of rain fell in July during a two-week period. Flooding washed away dirt arount the foundation pilings and heavy equipment became stuck in the mud. More than 60 pilings were set in granite in the bed of the lake to support the building.
The Commons offered symbolic and physical proof that the two Colleges were to be seen as part of a single institution. Merging of the Richmond and Westhampton academic departments was completed around the same time that the Commons was built.
In October 1975 construction began on two foot bridges that spanned the lake and met on the island. The bridges opened about two months later. Architect James Buck designed this project which included a gazebo on the island, a paved walkway around the lake, and new plantings. Total cost of the project was about $70,000.
Funding for the Commons came from the capital improvements campaign called “Our Time in History,” which was initiated in 1972 to raise $50 million. Of that amount, $30 million was to be used for construction, $20 million for scholarships and academic needs. Many funders contributed to the Commons, in particular Rector and Mrs. Lewis T. Booker and Mr. and Mrs. Howard L. Jenkins, Jr.
When first built the building was referred to as the University Commons Building, or the Student Commons. In 1984 it was dedicated in honor of W. Tyler Haynes a Richmond College graduate, class of 1922. Since that time it has been called Tyler Haynes Commons. Haynes was a trustee and a strong advocate of student causes who served as chairman of the Student Affairs Committee. A plaque in his honor was first placed inside the building; and is now at the north entrance to the Commons.
The exterior of the Commons conforms but not strictly to the Collegiate Gothic style that is dominant on campus. When the Commons opened in September 1976, The Collegian wrote that “the new building represents the best of both worlds. Its exterior blends harmoniously with the architectural plan of the university, not disrupting its celebrated Gothic beauty.” The interior of the building is functional, but there is a magnificent view of the lake from the ground and first floors as you walk through the concourse. The windows extend up through the third floor, providing lake views for the offices on that side. There is a spillway at the rear of the building to accommodate the lake’s overflow in heavy rains.
The Commons provides large areas for games and informal dining, lounges, student activities, student government, student publications, the campus radio station, and the bookstore. The building contains the Office of Student Activities, the Office of Student Affairs, and One-Card Services. On the third floor is the L. Howard Jenkins Trustees’ Suite, which was given by L. Howard Jenkins, Jr. and his wife Helen Scott Jenkins in memory of Mr. Jenkins’s father, L. Howard Jenkins, Sr. Jenkins, Sr. was a member of the Board and the son of Luther H. Jenkins, who funded the Jenkins Greek Theater. The L. Howard Jenkins Trustees’ Suite was dedicated in fall 1976. There is a large room on the first floor named for Alice Haynes who was the wife of Tyler Haynes. The Alice Haynes room serves as the site for many University wide gatherings, faculty meetings, and parties.
The fast food restaurant on the ground floor was initially called the Dry Dock, which had been the name of the luncheonette in what is now Weinstein Hall. In 1987, the name of the dining area was changed to The Pier, and a program called the Coffeehouse was created as a place for students to socialize and eat. The Coffeehouse venue was the dining area, it was meant to provide entertainment and provide an alternative to fraternity social life. The class of 1987 pledged more than $30,000 to pay for a stage in the Coffeehouse area.
The fast-food restaurant in the Commons has been renamed Tyler’s Grill, although the dining area itself is still referred to as the Pier. The campus pub, The Cellar, is also located on the ground floor.
Sources:
UR website
VBHS building file
Collegian 1973 - 1977