It'snot what itused to be, but it's home

I n 1974, students sorted through rubbish and put forth effortsto clean theold hotel, inhopes of establishing their new home

The VirginianHotel, constructedin 1913, housed 400 LBC students at the beginning ofthe1980-81 school year. Laterintheyear, with thecompletion of another dorm on Liberty Mountain,the two floors which had been home for nearly 200 LBC women became unoccupied.

The six-storystructure, laternamed The StewartArms Hotel, islocated on the corner of Church and Eighth Streets in downtown Lynchburg

According to the May 1,1913 edition of the Lynchburg News, the opening ceremony for the hotel was held April 30,1913.The celebration lasted from 8 p.m.until 11 p.m.with an orchestra on the second floorproviding theentertainment

According to the newspaper, the lobby was finished intan with ablue tapestry effect The left side of the lobby was devoted to a lounge and reading department while the right side served asa cafeand variousservicerooms

The men's cafe on the first floor was adutch stylewith missionfurniture. The second floor was a banquet hall, reception room and parlors The second floorbridalchambers, orGovernor's suites,were finished in mahogany with gray French draperies. Each ofthefourteen bedrooms on the second floor had its own colonial bath

In June, 1969,the hotel was auctioned off to Malcolm Wilder for $163,000 This ended a year-long struggletokeep the building open as ahotel.

According to W. Martin Johnson, Hotel Corporation president, the "closing of the hotel was due to the lack of local support and lack of patronage."

On June 1, 1972, Liberty Baptist College acquired the hotel.

The building was aged somewhat and quite a few changes have been made. Visitors notice that the lobby no longer has the plush couchesit once had.Instead the lobby is rather empty—except for the lone pinball machinethat standsbetweenthe RoyalCrown Cola machine and the two telephones. The exquisite lounge is now merely 10or15chairs The original brass railingisno longerbrass but is covered with black paint and is dusted daily

The sign outside no longer reads The Virginian Hotel. Nor doesit read The Stewart Arms Hotel In 1913, no one would have dreamed thatthe present-day red, white and blue sign would read Liberty Baptist College.

-Trudy Goff •

The homey solitude that students found while livingat thehotelisdepicted by alonemusician sillouetted inan upper storywindow.

Students at the hotel had many opportunities to socialize. Here, John Diverna and Karen Ciry find timetotalk in theHotel's snack bar.