The President’s House is one of three buildings on historic campus (along with the Brafferton and the Wren Building). It was constructed in 1732 to serve as the residence for the president of the college, and is still used as the president’s private residence today. The building is also used by the president for personal events, including President Rowe’s president’s aides meetings.

While the President’s House may not be named after an individual, it carries a long and complicated history as one of the three buildings on historic campus and the official residence for all university presidents. The President’s House was constructed in 1732, and prior to its construction, the president of the college, James Blair, lived in the east wing of the Wren Building on the first floor.

Beyond the legacy of individual presidents, the President’s House itself has played a part in the history of Williamsburg and the United States since its construction. The building partially burned in 1781, during the American Revolution while occupied by French troops. Louis XVI paid for the repairs, providing yet another link between William & Mary and European monarchy. During the Civil War, the President’s House was occupied by Union troops when they were using historic campus as a headquarters. Thus, this structure has not only stood witness to almost 300 years of American history, but it has served a dual purpose, both as a home form the President of the University and as a key structure during wartime in Williamsburg.

         In the 1730s, Henry Cary was contracted by William & Mary to construct the President’s House. He was in charge of construction, but the labor to build the house was completed, at least in part, by enslaved laborers. It is also possible that enslaved people lived in the house. Pre-civil war presidents such as James Blair and Thomas Dawson owned slaves, and there are records of Blair renting out enslaved people to the college. Enslaved people often lived where they worked, and while there is not direct evidence of enslaved people living in the President’s House, it is a possibility. Regardless, the early presidents were prominent, wealthy southern men, meaning that there were enslaved people working in the house all day. Enslaved people living in the Wren building also had close access to the President’s House.

The President’s House must wrestle with Rockefeller’s reconstruction of Colonial Williamsburg, since it was restored during that time, along with the Brafferton and the Wren Building. Since then, the President’s House was refurnished in the 1970s with historic and reconstructed furniture, similar to the furnishings in Colonial Williamsburg, which highlight the building’s historic roots.

Overall, the President’s House serves as a symbol of the college’s leadership. As the site of each president’s family and personal life, the school cannot ignore their presidents’ personal beliefs to honor their official actions. Today, the building underscores the complicated legacies of many past leaders within the College of William & Mary.

 To read more about individual presidents at William & Mary, explore the research completed on these pages: 

James Blair 

Benjamin Stoddert Ewell

Lyon Gardiner Tyler 

Goodwin, Mary. “The College of William and Mary.” Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library 

Research Report Series. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library, 1990. 

https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/DigitalLibrary/view/index.cfm?doc=ResearchR

eports%5CRR0210.xml&highlight=president%27s%20house.

Historic Campus Records, Special Collections, Swem Library, College of William & Mary.

Mary Goodwin Papers, Special Collections, Swem Library, College of William & Mary.

Office of the President. Timothy J. Sullivan Records, Special Collections, Swem Library, College of William & Mary.

Office of the President. Records, Special Collections, College of William & Mary.

Link to photos: 

https://www.wm.edu/about/visiting/campusmap/location/president-house.php

https://www.wm.edu/about/history/historiccampus/presidentshouse/index.php