Jessie Ball DuPont Hall

Norm Shafer, April 4, 2013. https://umwedu.smugmug.com/Fredericksburg-Campus/i-VJTR3fS/A

duPont Hall is named after Jessie Ball duPont, who was a close living relative of Mary Ball Washington. duPont gave many donations to southern Universities, like UMW, and due to her support this hall is named after her. She also founded the Jessie Ball DuPont fund in order to help struggling churches, charities, art museums, and historic buildings. (1)

DuPont hall was constructed in 1951 alongside Melcher and Pollard Hall. It is host to the Klein Theatre, the Theatre department, and the black box Theatre. It also hosted the University Radio Broadcast studio until 1969. In 1990 these buildings underwent a renovation as it was previously described by students as “a rathole.”(2)

(Image of front Portion of Dupont Theatre in 1955, published in the University of Mary Washington's Centennial Image Collections) — Front Portion of Dupont Theatre in 1955, published in the University of Mary Washington’s Centennial Image Collections

(Image of portrait of Jessie Dupont, that was published in the University of Mary Washington's Building Blog) — Portrait of Jessie Dupont, that was published in the University of Mary Washington’s Building Blog

Resources:

(1) Michael Spencer and the University of Mary Washington Campus Environment Presidential Ad Hoc Committee, Campus Environment Presidential Ad Hoc Committee: Final Report (Fredericksburg, VA: The Campus Environment Presidential Ad Hoc Committee, November 6, 2019), page 120.

(2) “UMW Fine Arts Complex,” Historic Buildings of the University of Mary Washington homepage, Accessed March 13, 2020. http://buildings.umwblogs.org/umw-fine-arts-complex/