as part of W & L Master Plan
By Kate Shellnutt
Washington and Lee University will soon use the historic train station on McLaughlin Street for office space, according to its latest Master Plan proposal.
In the proposal, administrators designate off-campus university buildings like the train station — and parking lots, like those located beside Domino’s Pizza, University Cleaners and the Chavis House — “community engagement zones.”
Some of these areas may be returned to the community for residential or commercial uses, but the train station will take on new uses for W&L.
Though the city’s Planning Commission will not consider the Master Plan for approval until it meets Dec. 14 at 5 p.m., Lexington City Council approved a portion of the plan at its Nov. 16 meeting.
At that meeting, the council voted 4-1 to issue a provisional permit for the University to use the historic train station for office spaces, if it completes the landscaping requirements issued when the station was moved in 2004 to build Wilson Hall.
In 1971, the University purchased Lexington’s train station, the bridge across Nelson Street and nearly nine acres of land for just $31,500, according to research by a 2004 W&L student.
The Master Plan now allows the train station to serve as temporary headquarters for W&L Facilities Management.
The Facilities Management staff currently works from a set of trailers, Mod Hall, near Woods Creek Apartments and the Law School.
“I’ll be happy to get out of here,” said Chris Wise, W&L’s environmental management coordinator, whose office would be moved to the station. “It’s not a hundred-percent, but they think that’s where we’ll end up.”
The former train station — dating back to 1883, a year carved in curly numbers above its doorway — most recently housed building crews involved in the construction of Wilson Hall.
The use of the train station as office space is the only part of the University’s Master Plan that the city has approved. The community will be able to learn more about the plan during a presentation by W&L at Rockbridge Regional Library Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. Additional presentations will be given Dec. 13, at 9:30 a.m. in Northen Auditorium, at W&L, and Dec. 14, at 2:30 p.m., in Northen Auditorium.
City officials had not received any direct communication from W&L about the upcoming Master Plan presentation or the one given on campus before Thanksgiving, according to one city official.
Ronald Smith, City Council member and liaison to the Planning Commission, said he thought most of the Council was unaware of the Master Plan sessions or details of the plan itself.
“Right now, we know very little,” said Bill Blatter, director of the Lexington Planning Commission. “Our only concern is not having a real sense of what they are going to do.”
Tom Contos, W&L’s architect, said the University is not ready to release a full text of the plan because of the changes and adaptations the 14-person committee is making.
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Claudette Artwick
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd