Description

Our Burruss Hall Ornament

Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, Virginia

Burruss Hall is the main administration building, it also contains a 3,003-seat auditorium and houses several departments in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. It consists of the original building, completed in June 1936 (cost $428,404; 77,080 sq ft; a west wing and rear addition, built in 1968 (cost $1,536,899; 60,503 sq ft; and an east wing, built in 1970 (cost $593,729; 20,638 sq ft. The cornerstone of the original building was laid at the 1935 commencement; the first commencement was held in the auditorium in June 1936. An electronic carillon, costing $28,000, was added in 1958 and was dedicated at Homecoming that year. It was originally known as the Teaching and Administration Building.

Julian Ashby Burruss (1876–1947) was President from 1919 to 1945. The first alumnus president, Burruss guided VPI through tremendous increases in faculty, student body, and degree offerings; vast growth in the physical plant; and efficient changes in administrative structure. He successfully pushed to admit women and shortened the military requirement to two years, setting the stage for a larger civilian student body. During his tenure, Radford College became the Women’s Division of VPI.