West

By Billy Faires

In a piece from Hollins Columns in 1946, a clever Hollins student noted that West was home to a “a swimming pool, a zoo, an opera guild, and all sorts of interesting characters.”

The piece goes on to defend/explain these claims. The swimming pool, it seems, was actually due to a flooding issue in a second-floor bathroom that poured through the first-floor ceiling below. The zoo was due to the presence of a skunk, a bat, and ants at various times that fall. The opera guild seems to have been a collection of students who routinely—and loudly—gathered in a first-floor bathroom to smoke.

Perhaps no residential hall in Hollins history evokes stronger emotions from as many students and alumnae as West. The building, a national historic landmark, has served as a rite of passage for generations of Hollins students. Long before Tinker Hall was completed, West housed all first-year students before they could move on to other options in later years.

“Through late-night talks and laugh- filled study sessions; across Today Show broadcasts, political demonstrations, Tinker Day celebrations, and the history that unfolds on the Front Quad, West has been home not just to countless Hollins students, but to so many of the memories we hold dear,” said Senior Philanthropic Advisor Suzy Mink ’74, who is leading the charge for a substantial fundraising effort in support of needed renovations to West.

The building all living Hollins alumnae know now as West had a complicated origin, springing forth from what had previously served as the Botetourt Springs Hotel. Wings were added to that hotel structure in 1890 and housed the infirmary and doctor’s office and faculty living quarters on the left wing, and housed literary societies and the senior parlor on the right wing. The center was demolished and rebuilt in 1901, initially housing the YWCA Club on the bottom floor with student residence rooms on the two upper floors.

More than a century later, West still stands and remains an unforgettable part of the student experience, but the last century has not been kind. A vital part of the Transforming Learning, Transforming Lives: The Levavi Oculos Strategic Plan is a two-phase project to ensure West remains a beloved memory for future generations of alumnae another century from now.

Phase One of the renovation was completed over the summer of 2024, as several structural upgrades were made in advance of Phase Two. The residence hall restrooms were also fully renovated and modernized to better meet the needs and expectations of today’s students.

Phase Two will be far more extensive. All residential rooms will have access to newly installed geothermal HVAC (see sidebar), and an elevator will be installed to ensure any student can have the full West experience. Phase Two construction will require 18 months to complete once funding is secured. The project’s goal is to have the renovation completed and ready to welcome students back for the start of the 2026-27 academic year and reopen for summer programs and camps in 2027.

ABOVE: West pictured in 1901 in a photo from Hollins archives. TOP MIDDLE: A History of the West Building from the 1901 Spinster. BOTTOM MIDDLE: West in the snow, taken in the early 20th Century. RIGHT: Miss Maria Pakinson says this bell was in use when Mr. Chas. L. Cocke came to Hollins. It hung for years in the cupola of the old West Building—which was then the main building on the place, surrounded by cottages—and it was rung for classes, chapel services, etc. It was later discarded because it was too small. —E.B. Wigmore, June, 1938

“As we look to Phase Two and the necessary upgrades to the conditioning of West Hall, it is apropos that we will be leveraging the warm spring waters that run under much of the campus and were the origin of the Botetourt Springs Hotel and the foundation of this beloved building.”

Following the successful installation of highly efficient geothermal systems for Tinker Hall, Rose Hill, Rathhaus and Barbee House over the last decade, the geothermal system for West Hall will include 36 wells located along the pathway from Cromer Bergman Alumnae House. This renewable and reliable energy source will eliminate West Hall’s current radiators, which rely on steam heat produced at the central power plant and support the use of ground source heat pumps that use 25%-50% less electricity than conventional HVAC systems, which will translate into lower operating costs for the new system. Some 200 years after the original Botetourt Springs Hotel was built, the “great dirt” underneath the Hollins campus will bring new life into West Hall.

“Our vision is to embrace West’s historic character—the spectacular façade, large rooms, hardwood floors, and wide hallways that make it iconic—while making essential renovations to meet our community’s changing needs,” Mink said.

All in all, because Hollins is committed to remaining debt free in all capital building and infrastructure projects, the West Hall project will require $12 million in donor support.

To contribute to the renovation of West, visit hollins.edu/givenow.

Planned Phase 2 Renovations for West

Kerry Edmonds, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Hollins University, elaborates on the advantages of the renovations:

• SUSTAINABILITY. By investing in a geothermal HVAC system that utilizes the warm spring water running under campus, we will bolster our environmental and our financial sustainability—lowering both our operating costs and our carbon footprint with the new system.
• FINANCIAL ADVANTAGES. With the addition of air conditioning we can predict significant financial benefit with revenue generated from summer camps and programs and increased residential student revenue.
• ACCESS. By adding an elevator, we will broaden access and accessibility at Hollins, ensuring that every talented and driven young woman can enjoy the benefits of living in West and on Front Quad.
• ADDED CAPACITY. Our new HVAC system will enable students to live safely and comfortably in West year-round—including during unbearably hot Virginia summers. With year-round use, we can expand summer pipeline programs and camps that are critical to increasing opportunity and growing our enrollment in the future, and which require every bed on campus to be available—making access, comfort, and safety in West essential to the growth and sustainability of our university.
• STUDENT APPEAL. Too often, outdated facilities can be a barrier to recruitment and retention. As we seek to grow to full-capacity enrollment and curate top-notch classes, an updated residence hall with air conditioning, modernized restrooms and an elevator will ensure that we meet prospective students’ expectations around amenities throughout our historic campus.
• HISTORIC PRESERVATION. With renovations, we will preserve and update this national historic landmark—the student “Waldorf” that was one of the first residence halls completed on campus—and bring an irreplaceable part of Hollins’ history into our future.

READ MORE &gt

Inspiring a Tradition of Giving

At Hollins, the bonds between past, present, and future generations are alive and thriving. Alumnae/i Missy Lee Roberts ’85, Lindsey Mann Field ’03, and Sarah Himes ’23 embody the transformative power of a Hollins education and the importance of giving back. Through their unique journeys, they highlight why investing in the Hollins Fund is essential to preserving and enhancing the experiences that shape Hollins women into leaders, advocates, and changemakers.