National Historic Landmark · Williamsburg (Independent City), Virginia

Wren Building, College of William and Mary

Built 1695 by Christopher Wren. Added to the National Register in 1966, and a National Historic Landmark.

National Historic LandmarkBuilt 1695Listed 1966Renaissance Revival architectureChristopher Wren
Wren Building, College of William and Mary
Photos via Wikimedia Commons

The record

Property typeBuilding
AddressCollege of William and Mary campus, Williamsburg (Independent City), VA
Independent cityCity of Williamsburg
ListedOct 15, 1966
Listed forEducation
Level of significanceNational
Also known asOld College Yard
Reference number66000929
Built1695 · more from the 1690s
ArchitectChristopher Wren
StyleRenaissance Revival architecture
DesignationsNational Historic Landmark, Virginia Historic Landmark

The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗

Visiting

AddressCollege of William and Mary campus, Williamsburg (Independent City), VA
Coordinates37.2708° N, 76.7092° W · Directions ↗
Listing on the Register does not open the door. Unless a museum or park runs it, treat this as private property and see it from the sidewalk.

Explore

Map

Guidebooks to historic places in Virginia

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Historical Tours Alexandria, Virginia
    Frederick Knops, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Plantations of Virginia
    Charlene C. Giannetti and Jai Williams, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • George Washington's Virginia
    John R. Maass, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Historic Sites in Virginia's Northern Neck and Essex County
    Thomas A. Wolf, 2011
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

When was Wren Building, College of William and Mary listed on the National Register?

Oct 15, 1966. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.

Source: National Park Service

When was Wren Building, College of William and Mary built?

1695, designed by Christopher Wren, in the Renaissance Revival architecture style.

Source: Wikidata

Where is Wren Building, College of William and Mary?

College of William and Mary campus, Williamsburg (Independent City), City of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Source: National Park Service

Where is the nomination form for Wren Building, College of William and Mary?

The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.

Source: National Archives

Sources

Name, location, type and dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet of listed properties, because the Park Service's spatial data does not carry this listing. The map point comes from Wikidata. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 66000929. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place.