Barringer Hall
Barringer Hall is a residence hall located on the President's Quad.
Located in the President’s Quad, Barringer Hall was built in 1962 and houses 220 residents. It was dedicated on May 16, 1966. Cost of construction was $729,244; it contains 42,879 sq. ft.
Paul Brandon Barringer
Barringer Hall is named for Paul Barringer. Born in 1857, he was appointed president of Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in 1907. Earlier, the physician-turned-educator had helped found a medical school and hospital at the University of Virginia, where he was later chairman of the faculty, and served as president of the Medical Society of Virginia.
Barringer, known affectionately as "Oom (Uncle) Paul" by the student body, resigned in 1912 after incurring the wrath of the alumni, the engineering faculty, and others. He stayed on through July, 1913, at the request of the board of visitors. According to Lyle Kinnear, author of The First 100 Years: A History of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, "If there was ever a man ahead of his time, he was it." Barringer reorganized the college, raised admission standards, and strengthened undergraduate offerings. He built up the agriculture program, broadened the scope of the departments, and made material improvements in student accommodations. He extended self-government to students and spurred formulation of an honor code. But he angered territorial engineering faculty by building up the agriculture program and attempting to fire several powerful professors.
After his term as president, he served in the military during World War I and then went back to Charlottesville, Virginia, where he returned to his private medical practice. He died in 1941.
Address: Kent Street (President's Quad) | Map Grid: O-6
Originally Built: 1962 | Abbreviation: BAR