Virginia Commonwealth University: Monroe Park Campus Improvements – Richmond VA

City:
Richmond, VA

Site Type:
Education and Health, Colleges and Universities

New Deal Agencies:
Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Quality of Information:
Moderate

Site Survival:
Extant

Description

The Richmond Professional Institute (RPI) was an educational institution established in 1917. It eventually merged with the Medical College of Virginia to become the Monroe Park Campus of the Virginia Commonwealth University. In the 1930s, as the Richmond Professional Institute, it received significant support from the WPA:

“When the Great Depression hit and RPI continued to receive no state support, the federal government stepped in to fill the gap. With the help of the Works Progress Administration, many of the buildings were renovated during the depression. In fact, Dr. Hibbs was quoted as saying,

That if it had not been for the WPA, the Richmond Professional Institute would not have amounted to much. In the days before the legislature made appropriations to RPI the WPA enabled us to survive and even grow a little.[9]

In 1939 the school was renamed the Richmond Professional Institute of the College of William and Mary.”   (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Professional_Institute#Hib73)

The campus now contains a mix of new and old buildings, many of which were surely improved by the WPA.

Source notes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Professional_Institute#Hib73 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Commonwealth_University#Monroe_Park_Campus

Location Info


Main St. and Cherry St.
Richmond, VA 23284
Henrico County

Coordinates: 37.5458437, -77.4528292

Contribute to this Site

We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal site.

Submit More Information or Photographs for this New Deal Site

Join the Conversation

Please note:

  • We are not involved in the management of New Deal sites and have no information about visits, hours or rentals.
  • This page shows all the information we have for this site; if you have new information or photos to share, click the button above.

Your email address will not be published, shared, or sold.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Contribute to this Site

We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal project site.

Submit More Information or Photographs for this New Deal Site

Join the Conversation

Please note:

  • We are not involved in the management of New Deal sites and have no information about visits, hours or rentals.
  • This page shows all the information we have for this site; if you have new information or photos to share, click the button above.

Your email address will not be published, shared, or sold.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.