WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary announced on Wednesday the establishment of a hub for what it called “multi-disciplinary research and teaching to address global challenges” thanks to an anonymous $30 million gift to the university.
The university said it plans to renovate the existing vacant Brown Hall property and transform it into a hub to include three university-wide centers: the Global Research Institute, Institute for Integrative Conservation and Whole of Government Center of Excellence. The building will be named in honor of Robert M. Gates, former Secretary of Defense and Director of the CIA and current Chancellor at William & Mary.
According to the university, it will be the first academic building in the country to honor Gates.
“This is the greatest honor I’ve received in my lifetime,” Gates said during a recent visit. “William & Mary is where I felt called to public service, and I can see that the call to make a difference is still felt strongly here. This building will serve as a hub for generations of students and faculty to cultivate new ideas to contribute to the nation and the world.”
Prior to the opening of Gates Hall, the centers will be operating from and in partnership with Swem Library in a new section called The Hive, the university said.
According to William & Mary, Brown Hall was built in 1930 by the Women’s Missionary Society of the Virginia Methodist Conference and named in honor of a Methodist family who helped to fund its construction. It originally served as an off-campus residence for Methodist women students at William & Mary.
The W&M Foundation currently owns and operates the property, most recently used as a residence hall, and is partnering with the W&M Real Estate Foundation, which will serve as the construction manager for the project.
The project is noted for using sustainable design principles, reducing waste by renovating, rather than demolishing, the building.
“We are deeply grateful for our trustee’s passion for conservation and sustainability — so important to the work that will take place in this special building,” said President Katherine Rowe. “Like the chancellor, she is a true servant leader; she does not seek recognition for herself. Through her partnership, across the university, she has inspired us to aim high. Gates Hall will build on other initiatives that her generosity has brought to life here.”
According to the university, the site directly beneath the hall was once home to the Williamsburg Bray School, and a historical marker at the site commemorates the school’s foundation in 1760 and operation there for several of its 14 years. Plans call for exhibits inside the new hall that will honor and tell the story of the Bray School and the children who studied there. Those exhibits will be created with input from the school’s descendant community, the university said.
Scheduled for groundbreaking this fall after archaeological work concludes, the university said Gates Hall is set for completion in time for the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Endowments have been created to support the academic centers and the long-term care of the building.
