Wren Building, Williamsburg, VA
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 37° 16.251 W 076° 42.504
18S E 348527 N 4126286
The Wren Building, now in its fourth century, is the principal building of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Waymark Code: WM13E0B
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 11/19/2020
Views: 8
On Feb. 8, 1693, a charter was granted by King William III and Queen Mary II of England to establish a college in the colony of Virginia. On Feb. 8, 1993, the U.S. Postal Service issued this postal card celebrating the College of William & Mary’s 300th anniversary. For the stamp image, the card shows the college’s signature building: the Wren Building, which also happens to be the oldest college building still standing in the United States.
The Wren Building was constructed between 1695 and 1700 when Williamsburg was still known as Middle Plantation. Today, well over 300 years later, the Wren Building still serves in an academic capacity housing faculty offices and classrooms. But all this longevity was not achieved without drama as the building has been thrice gutted by fire, the last time on purpose when it was burnt by Union soldiers during the Civil War.
Throughout most of its life, this building was known simply as “the College.” Shortly after it was restored to its colonial-era appearance as part of the Colonial Williamsburg project in 1931, it was named in honor of Sir Christopher Wren, the famous British architect who designed St. Paul’s in London. In 1724, Rev. Hugh Jones, a mathematics professor at William & Mary, wrote that the building was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, but no corroborating documentation has ever been produced.
Stamp Issuing Country: United States
Date of Issue: 8-Feb-1993
Denomination: 19c
Color: multicolored
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for this category, you must visit the actual site of the waymark. Post at least one photo that you personally took of the site if at all possible. If you cannot provide a photo for some reason, your visit will still be welcome.
You do NOT need to be a stamp collector to visit the waymark site, nor do you have to provide a photo of the stamp. Just having a copy of the stamp in question, however, is not sufficient; you must personally visit the site.