Collections

Structures

The structures in the architectural collection include the various structures located within the Historic Area, the ancient campus of the College of William and Mary, the Bassett Hall complex, and six eighteenth-century buildings outside the Historic Area. The collection contains 88 structures dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and more than 500 reconstructed on their original foundations. Another dozen support structures (such as shelters and sheds) were not constructed on foundations.

Architectural Fragments

Architectural fragments are those portions of historic buildings or structures detached from their original locations. The collection includes 15,000 architectural fragments ranging in size from tiny paint samples to an entire flight of stairs. the collection is subdivided into three components: the Historic Area Collection, the North American Collection, and the European Collection.

Architectural Models

In addition to structures and fragments, the architectural collection includes seventy architectural models in a variety of sizes and materials. Three-dimensional models in the collection have been retained for study and documentary purposes. Models of structures from the architectural collection represent the majority of the models, such as a plaster model of the Governor’s Palace and a wooden model of Robertson’s Windmill.