Payne Hall was built in 1994 in the Drillfield Community and is home to 249 residents. Payne houses 217 graduate and upperclassmen students and is a suite-style building with either two or three rooms sharing a common living room and bathroom.
Payne Hall is named for the Rev. Alfred Cook Payne. Born in 1916, Payne served the University for more than two decades. After serving as an infantry captain in World War II, Payne came to Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1946 and served as the assistant secretary of the YMCA until 1949. He left VPI and returned in 1958 to serve as the secretary of the YMCA. He became assistant to the dean of students in 1964 and later served as counselor for religious affairs.
While he formally retired in 1981, he continued to serve the University as a friend, pastor, and advisor. According to reports, wherever trouble was brewing, Payne was there--or tried to be. He recalled scrambling down to Williams Hall in the spring of 1970 when the building was taken over by students protesting the shootings at Kent State University in Ohio. "I very casually, naively, walked to the door of Williams because I had an inclination to either be identified with the students or hear their position and to try to intercede with reason," he said. The police told him, in no uncertain terms, that he would have to leave.
After the residence hall dedication, Payne enjoyed visiting with the hall residents.
He died on November 8, 2003, at the age of 87.
Address: Washington Street (Lower Quad) | Map Grid: M-6
Originally Built: 1993 | Abbreviation: PAYNE