McKim Hall; Academic Building Dedicated to Randolph Harrison McKim

Item

Legacies Classification
Memorial Structure
Memorial Type
Academic Facility
Memorial Context
Memorialized Subject
Randolph Harrison McKim
Title
McKim Hall; Academic Building Dedicated to Randolph Harrison McKim
Background and Context
The University of Virginia's McKim Hall was built in 1931 as a nursing school dormitory and memorial to Randolph Harrison McKim (1842-1920). McKim Hall now houses administrative offices for the University of Virginia Health System. The funding for the building came from an endowment of nearly $70,000 left by Randolph H. McKim.

McKim was a Confederate soldier, Episcopal priest, and Lost Cause supporter. As a student at UVA in 1861, McKim was inspired by the secession flag that students briefly hoisted on the dome of the Rotunda and joined the Confederate Army after graduating. He served as a lieutenant in the 4th Virginia Heavy Artillery and later as chaplain of the 2nd Virginia Cavalry. As a writer, McKim was a major Lost Cause activist. He documented his Civil War Confederate service A Soldier's Recollections, delivered a sermon eulogizing Robert E. Lee after his death, and authored numerous works in the early 20th century defending the Southern cause, including The Numerical Strength of the Confederate Army and Motives and Aims of the Soldiers of the South in the Civil War. McKim also claimed slavery was not a main concern for the South, blaming the English for introducing it to Virginia, in his work Contributions of the Anglo-Saxon Church in the Making of the Republic.

McKim remained an avid participant in Confederate commemorative events throughout his life, including mounting ablets on the Rotunda in 1906 honoring students who had enlisted in the Confederate army and writing the inscription for the Confederate Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery.
Physical Description
McKim Hall is a four-story academic building that began as a nursing school dormitory and was later repurposed as administrative offices for the University of Virginia Health Department. The building is made of red brick, stone, and concrete. The first floor windows are marked with white center stones above them.
Creator/Participating Person(s)
McKim, Randolph Harrison
University of Virginia Architectural Commission
Date created, installed or dedicated
1931
Funded by
McKim, Randolph Harrison
Location: Institution, City, State

Position: 1475 (51 views)