Introduction to Longwood
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Longwood University
The Post-World War II Years As American higher education expanded dramatically after World War II and campuses grew substantially, a more formalized process of campus master planning began to emerge. This process allowed state, campus and community leaders to systematically assess needs, designate priorities, and—in the ideal, though not always in practice— imbue their campuses with vision, elegance and architectural coherence.
The first master plan for what was then called Longwood College was developed in 1961 and subsequently updated in 1965. The update called for a dramatic expansion of the College southward along Ely (now Griffin), Pine, Spruce, and Main Streets. It envisioned new dormitories, new buildings for the music and arts programs, and a campus laboratory school.
Since 1965, campus plans have been developed in 1985, 1991, 2001 and 2008. Significant concerns about how Longwood’s expansion might affect the surrounding neighborhood persisted into the early 2000s. President Patricia Cormier’s 2004 public promise to refrain from using eminent domain to further campus expansion set a new direction.
The 1965 plan was developed with little input from community leaders, and its release prompted protest from black property owners who lived near campus. Longwood used the state power of eminent domain for property acquisition, resulting in the compensation and forced relocation of both white and African-American property owners, including Race Street Baptist Church.
Over the past decade, campus leaders have worked more closely with citizens to discuss how expansion might affect the surrounding neighborhood. In 2014, under the leadership of President W. Taylor Reveley IV, Longwood reiterated that commitment, and the Longwood Board of Visitors issued a resolution of apology for the University’s past use of eminent domain.
1957
1965 Master Plan
1972 Flyover