Part of the Lynch-Raine Administration Building is named for George W. Atkinson, the 10th Governor of West Virginia, and a respected Lay Speaker in the Methodist Episcopal Church.
This space, built in 1906, was known as College Chapel, and served as the major gathering space on campus until Wesley Chapel was built in 1967. Renamed Atkinson Chapel in 1922, was used for daily and weekly required chapel services, convocations, concerts, theater productions, guest speakers, Commencement, and even thuses. It was a space that created community.
After 1967, when Wesley Chapel was built, it was referred to as Atkinson Auditorium.
When the Virginia Thomas Law Center for Performing Arts opened in 2009, Atkinson was closed. After a decade of being used mainly for storage, efforts were made to restore and renovate this important and historic space. In 2019 a portion of the stage area reopened for small classes and the black box theatre.
Related reading:
(1968-09-10) Atkinson Repaired [Pharos 1968-09-10, p.3]
(2019) Atkinson Audoririum Reopens [Sundial Winter/Spring 2019, p.2] Atkinson Auditorium, one of Wesleyan’s most historical facilities, has reopened for use as a black box theatre and classroom space. Atkinson has been closed since the opening of the Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Perfoming Arts in 2009. The reopening has been warmly welcomed by faculty, students, and staff. College Hall was opened in 1906 as an auditorium with 1,500 seats. it was renamed Atkinson auditorium in recognitionof George W. Atkinson’s service to the College as a trustee and of his public service to the state of West Virginia. Over the years, it has been used for chapel services, concerts, lectures, recitals, and theatre productions.
George W. Atkinson. [McGrew, DreamersAndGiants]