Stewart Hall's
massive
scale

Stone faces and carved floral details adorn the building’s exterior.
Also intriguing are the stone owls on the back of the building and
stone visages, carved in various degrees of distortion of the human
face, on the façade. These add interest and character to the weighty
masonry walls.

A two-story rotunda dominates the interior space of Stewart Hall.
Tall arches around the perimeter add to the grandeur of this rectangular space.
A large-scale brass chandelier hangs from a chain high above, drawing the
eye upwards. The fixture features two tiers of branched lighting,
echoing the architectural choice of a two-tiered rotunda. On the main floor,
which houses the Office of the President, the columns supporting the rotunda
feature a canthus leaf molding – and a whimsical surprise. Tiny mice peek from
the leaves of each column and have long been a favorite secret of those who
work in the building.

The second floor of Stewart Hall, which houses the Office of the Provost,
is reached by ascending a wide staircase in the entry hall. From the open
atrium area on this floor, a viewer can look down on the striking black and
white checkerboard floor of the President’s lobby. The second floor was
originally intended as an exhibit space for the University’s natural history
collection. Today, the open lobby area houses a rotating exhibit of art from
the University’s permanent collection.

Stewart Hall is rich in architectural history and detail. It is also a soaring and
even mysterious building –from the strange figures carved on its exterior
walls to the echoes that rise from the main floor up to the domed rotunda.
And as the home of the Office of the President and Office of the Provost,
it is at the heart of West Virginia University, a symbol of all that we have
accomplished, and of all we will achieve in the years to come.

Downtown Library