Buildings Create Opportunities
What could a Music Conservatory and eSports possibly have in common? Both require practice space, and both have occupied space in the same building on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College, more than a century apart.
1900
In 1900, ten full years after the opening of the West Virginia Conference Seminary, the campus was much different than what we see today.
There was a main building which housed all of the classrooms, offices, a chapel, and Literary Society Halls. There was Ladies’ Hall (a mere five years old in this photograph) for housing the female students. Men boarded with families in town at that time.
Professor James J. Jelley, hired in 1899 as the Director of the Conservatory of Music, was adamant that the Conservatory needed a building dedicated to that purpose. Space was needed for instruments, practice facilities, and to house the Conservatory Circulating Library of Music.
1902
In 1902, J.J. Jelley’s dream was fulfilled. This is one of the oldest buildings on our campus. In fact, it is THE oldest academic building.
1905 and Beyond
Only a few years after it was completed it had its first of many changes in purpose.
- The fire that destroyed the Seminary Building in 1905 meant that there was a huge need for office and classroom space.
- When the Student Army Training Corp was here in 1918, a flu epidemic swept through the troops causing the Annex building to be used as a hospital and a place of quarantine.
- Through the years, the building has been used for many other purposes as well, including admission office and art department, and today is beginning a brand new adventure as the eSports Stadium (dedicated on October 31, 2019) is now located on the first floor of the building.
- The upper floors are now home to English classrooms and faculty offices as well as the home of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program.
The seemingly simple and plain building has survived several attempts to tear it down through the years. Although it is a very plain building, there were some subtle structural things done to try and make it a bit more interesting.
Through all of the years I have passed by this building, I never noticed them until I took an architectural tour of campus with local Architect, Bryson Van Nostrand.
As he pointed out:
- The first floor windows are rectangles.
- The second floor windows have a half-arch at the top
- The third floor windows have a full arch
I’ll bet that you will never see this building in the same way again! I know that I find it interesting every time I pass by it now.
2019
And now, in 2019, renovation of the first floor in one of our oldest buildings has created a facility for another historic first. Wesleyan has the first collegiate eSports team in West Virginia.
Following NCAA guidelines on training and practice sessions, and competing in the National Association of Collegiate eSports (NACE), Wesleyan is once again leading the way into what has become one of the fastest growing spectator sports in the world. The number of colleges with eSports teams has doubled in recent years, and now boasts 130 schools involving more than 3,000 students.
Their new facility has made this possible. Like the Conservatory before it, the eSports Arena provides practice space as well as equipment. Coach Wu says that “this facility replicates tournament conditions with hardware that is used by League of Legends Championship Series professionals. The ‘Arena’ will enable us to play, practice, and grow as a team and I am looking forward to the accomplishments our team will accrue moving forward.”
Coach Kevin Wu and his team participated in the ceremonial ribbon cutting ceremony on October 31, 2019 officially opening the eSports Arena at Wesleyan.
The inagural Bobcat eSports team includes a stong group of heavily recruited Computer Science majors who all happen to be from West Virginia. Coming from small towns and cities alike, these players will be applying technical skills, teamwork, and critical thinking as they compete.
- Abraham Blouir of Pennsboro, WV
- William Butcher of Ellenboro, WV
- Brandon Cochran of Given, WV
- Stanley Ciciora of Lewisburg, WV
- Thomas Flannery of Charleston, WV
- Gabe Poling of Moatsville, WV
- Jacob Williamson of Renick, WV
Coach Wu says that he is hoping to eventually develop a roster with thirty players, and is actively in search of female players for the team.
Computer Science professor Don Tobin says he is looking forward to working with these students in the classroom as well. He notes that eSports requires intense problem solving skills and teamwork – things that are in high demand in the world today.
Sports Innovations Through the Years
Another early building that set the stage for growth and innovation in sports was what is now referred to as the “Old Gymnasium.”
Built in 1912, the Gymnasium provided facilities for athletics, physical education, offices, classrooms, and a location for dances and other festive events. Page 5 of the March 1913 College Bulletin describes the Gymnasium in some detail.
These were the days of Giants in the athletic realm – both coaches and players.
The facility also made it possible for WVWC to organize and host the first state high school basketball tournament on March 21, 1914. That year Elkins and Wheeling each claimed to be supreme. Harry Stansbury, who also served as Athletic Director, invited them to Buckhannon to settle the dispute on the court. Elkins emerged victorious and became the first “State Champions.” The tournament continued here until 1938.
In 1915, Wesleyan athletic director Stansbury contacted high schools all over West Virginia, inviting them to participate in an open tournament for the state basketball title. Fourteen teams answered the call, and the building of a sports tradition was under way. His vision, enthusiasm, and energy were the key factors in creating an event that has involved many thousands of players and fans throughout the years. Around West Virginia, March Madness is Nothing New thanks to Harry Stansbury.
Harry Stansbury Connection
When Scott McKinney, West Virginia Wesleyan Chief Financial Officer, went in search of furniture and equipment for the new eSports Arena, he found a great deal on some high quality tables. But these were not just any tables.
He found them at an auction at West Virginia University as they were preparing to tear down Stansbury Hall in August 2019. This building, originally built in 1929 as the West Virginia University Field House, was the home to WVU basketball from 1929-1970 and was the place where Jerry West and Hot Rod Hundley made history. In 1973 it was renamed Stansbury Hall to honor Wesleyan’s own Harry Stansbury – who had gone on to become the athletic director at WVU from 1916-1938.
The tables, which would have cost tens of thousands of dollars if purchased through regular channels, were obtained for $1,200. But, more than that, I believe that Harry Stansbury, the forward-thinking, innovative son of WVWC would be extremely pleased to have a connection to this new adventure.
