wren building

scarletman1972

Beautiful building with loads of history. Classroom is historic. Great Hall is beautiful. The chapel is breathtaking. Not to be missed on a trip to Williamsburg.

northernneckinn

In the middle of winter the cold is piercing and will get to you unless you are well prepared. Attended an organ recital on a below freezing day and can assure you that heating is non-existent! After 30 minutes we ran to the Trellis for a large fried breakfast and mugs of hot coffee!

lindamG4978YN

We thoroughly enjoyed the organ recital performed by the organist from the Bruton Parish Chapel, however, William and Mary College needs to do better with their signage as no one could find the chapel. Please add a sign somewhere other than the large map at the entrance to the grounds which is absolutely no help. Also, please fix the door so people an actually open it without throwing their whole body up against it. Yes, I know it's an old chapel, but I believe this could be fixed.

andbev2

Beautiful building, old and worn but comfortable. Loaded with history. Organist extremely talented. Don't miss this free attraction ( donations) .

Georgia814

It's a great stop to make while you are in town visiting Colonial Williamsburg. The first and second floors are open to the public. On the first floor, there are plaques memorializing graduates of the College of William & Mary who lost their lives in various various wars. There is also a classroom as it would have looked when the school was founded. There is an information center and great hall that are open to visitors. On the second floor, check out the Blue Hall that is a gallery of oil portraits of the college's presidents.

KLE2013

The Wren Building was the first major restoration/reconstruction in Colonial Williamsburg by Rockefeller in the late 1920's. The original building was started in 1695 and completed in 1700. The building has been gutted by fire in 1705, 1859, and1862. Named after the famous English architect Christopher Wren who designed St. Paul's Cathedral and 20+ London churches after the great fire of 1666, there is little evidence to suggest that he actually designed the original structure, but rather it was build in the style of Wren. The Chapel within is beautifully paneled and organ concerts are frequently held there. Check the Colonial Williamsburg weekly program for scheduled events. The refectory or great hall also has concerts, most notably on First Night. This is the oldest academic building in continual use in the USA and the weather vane 1693 on the cupola signifies the year of the founding of the college,

Rabbitrun1

Grandpa built the Chapel back in the early 1700's as the architect "undertaker" contractor, as well as the Bruton Parish tower.

starmorgan

This is where our founding fathers went to school and attended class. The view across the sunken garden is beautiful.

serenitywriter

Covered part of this in another review of the College of William and Mary. An amazing building designed and built over three hundred years ago by the architect Christopher Wren as the original building for William and Mary. Walk where the greats walked and studied. Imagine Jefferson continuing to develop his mind here. Don't miss the chapel or the "grammar" school room.When leaving Merchant's Square and entering the campus, stop and appreciate the classical design and architecture of this building. Tours can be self-guided or with a docent.

LillianD674

This is right next to Colonial Williamsburg but the tours are conducted by students. I was the only one of the tour. Got to see the chapel, classrooms, hall. A very good tour.

Don_K_Kingston

The Wren building provides great example of early North American architecture for colleges and universities, and seem to still exist today to some extent.

mulgrew

great to walk around a historical building the guides were friendly and helpful made it a great tour

LeighTM

amazing to be inside the space where historic figures were educated and where the work of education continues today ... lovely, lovely

USAFret

The Wren Building is in a beautiful college yard at the end of Duke of Gloucester Street. You can tour the first floor of the building which has exhibits and colonial era classrooms. The highlight of the tour is the chapel. It is richly paneled and has marvelous acoustics. Check the weekly Williamsburg activities guide for the dates of organ recitals. The instrument is a historic English organ and the sound is very rich. The concerts typically last half an hour and are well worth the walk to the chapel.

RonR682

The Wren building is actually, like most of colonial Williamsburg, a misnomer. The building is in Wren's "style", but has never actually been tied to Christopher Wren in any way. The building, again like most of Williamsburg, is relatively new, being rebuild multiple times after various fires destroyed it. There are still great stories tied to the history of the building and its University, and it is worth as stop if only to see where 3 US presidents including Jefferson attended.