Newman Hall, a residence hall in the President's Quad is home to 273 residents. Construction was completed in May, 1964, and the building was dedicated on May 16, 1966. Cost of construction was $872,472; the building contains 55,017 sq. ft. Newman housed 292 men from 1964 to the Spring of 1970; it was converted to house 284 women in the Fall of 1970. It is now a co-ed hall.
Newman Hall is named for Walter Stephenson Newman. Born in 1895, he served as the tenth president at Virginia Polytechnic Institute from 1947 to 1962. He received his master of science degree from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in 1919. He served as an associate professor of vocational education from 1922 to 1925. He was one of the founders of the Future Farmers of Virginia, which, in 1926, evolved into the Future Farmers of America. Newman was elected as the first University vice president in 1946. He served in that role until he was named acting president, a position he held from May to August, 1947. He was officially named president in September of 1947. He retired in 1962 after recovering from a heart attack. VPI conferred more degrees during his tenure than under all of his predecessors combined and experienced huge growth, with over $20 million in campus construction projects.
After retirement from the University, he remained active within the Blacksburg community. He became president of the National Bank of Blacksburg in 1967. In 1977, he became the first recipient of the Virginia Tech William H. Ruffner Medal. He lived in Blacksburg until his death in 1978.
References: "Heroes and Heroines Set in Stone," by Su Clauson-Wickerand Netta Smith, in the fall 1995 issue of Virginia Tech Magazine. University Archives of Virginia Tech, Historical Data Book, Section 6.5.
Address: Kent Street (Lower Quad) | Map Grid: N-6
Originally Built: 1964 | Abbreviation: NEW