from the Record
Fall 2020 has been full of adjustments for Hampden-Sydney students, but not every change involved masks and social distancing. As students returned to the Hill in August, 150 made their way through the parking lot behind Cushing and the Carpenter residence halls and turned onto a fresh, winding lane named for the College’s longtime dean of admissions, Anita Garland. And there, nestled into a grove of trees adjacent to Chalgrove Lake just behind the Whitehouse Quadrangle, these upperclassmen discovered their new home-away-from-home.
Appropriately dubbed “the Grove,” this 38,000-square-foot residence hall complex features five dormitories, each bearing an arboreal name: Hickory, Oak, Osage, Poplar, and Sycamore.
Surrounded by forest and located just steps from the Wilson Trail, the apartment-style residence halls are linked by footpaths and a central courtyard that harnesses the location’s natural beauty. Red brick foundations support taupe and moss green plank siding topped by the traditional metal roofs found in Southside Virginia—choices inspired by the College’s original wood clapboard buildings and historic buildings like Estcourt; Thornton Place; and the Birthplace, where plans for the College’s opening were finalized in 1775.
On the southern side of the complex overlooking Chalgrove is a grill- and fire pit-outfitted community building, the interior of which features a brick hearth, leather furniture, and tall beams that call to mind a mountain lodge, offering students a welcoming and comfortable space to relax and study. Floor to ceiling windows give the impression of actually being outside—and in the warmer months, the deck provides a dining and meeting area with views over Chalgrove, where new docks and foot bridges are being constructed to enhance pedestrian access around the water’s edge.