Washington and Lee University to Renovate Former Boatright Room in Leyburn Library

By Brian Laubscher
April 8, 2025

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Washington and Lee University will begin a planned renovation of the Boatright Room located in the Special Collection and Archives area of the Leyburn Library following the completion of Winter Term exams in April 2025.

The renovations, which will restrict public access to the Boatright Room and Special Collections, will modernize the space used by the university and local community for reading, research, classes, meetings and special events.

Expected to be completed by the start of the 2025 Fall Term, the reimaged space will cost $1.35 million and will be dedicated in honor of alumnus Tom Wolfe '51. When completed, the room will officially be renamed the Tom Wolfe '51 Reading Room.

According to KT Vaughan, Hal F. and Barbara Buckner Higginbotham University Librarian at W&L, the push for an updated research and reading room was spearheaded by the efforts of the Friends of the Library group.

"The Friends of the Library group traditionally held its meetings in the Boatright Room, and about 10 years ago, they began reporting the significant challenges the space was facing," said Vaughan. "The space is sort of a time capsule dating back to the original construction of Leyburn Library in 1979. The room doesn't fit today's needs very well, and the Friends of the Library began advocating for the necessary updates."

Friends of the Library has a long history of funding library improvement projects, and they began to focus on modest improvements to the room in 2021. The group initially raised $150,000, which was matched by another $150,000 from the university. However, it soon became apparent that additional funding would be necessary to accommodate the growing needs of today's learning and research environment.

A shift toward more significant structural changes within the space occurred following the death of Maurice Theodore "Ted" Van Leer '51 in 2023. A generous benefactor, Van Leer had earmarked a portion of his estate to support the university. Both Van Leer and his son, Theodore J. "Tad" Van Leer '77, were longtime members of the Friends of the Library and it didn't take long to surmise that those funds could be beneficial in updating the Boatright Room.

"Ted had been a good friend and classmate of Tom Wolfe and his widow, Sheila, and Tad had grown up with the Wolfe children," said Vaughan. "There's this beautiful story there, and we look forward to having an exhibit someday about the connections built as undergraduates and how those persist over the years. It was decided that Ted's gift would support a renovation to the Boatright Room, which would be renamed in honor of his longtime friend."

The Van Leer family gift will support a modernization of the room's features and improve its functionality as a research space. Among the changes will be a complete upgrade to the lighting systems, a new wood coffered ceiling and entry doors, comfortable research-friendly seating, upgraded electrical and technological infrastructure, updated finishes and wall features, new shelving and casework, personal storage lockers, public-accessible computers and displays capable of handling presentations and highlighting digital collections.

"The current lighting provides a certain ambiance but doesn't lend itself to reading 18th- and 19th-century manuscripts, which can be a challenge," said Kim Sims, associate professor and associate university librarian for Special Collections and Archives. "The current seating isn't too comfortable, so we're just trying to make this a more usable space for our researchers, who bridge different communities. These people represent students, faculty, scholars from other institutions, international scholars, community members and genealogists from all over. This space is special to the W&L community, the broader Lexington community and beyond."

In addition to the functional changes, the space will be designed to honor Wolfe's legacy as a prominent intellectual and significant figure in 20th-century American literature. In consultation with Sheila Wolfe, the room will be recast in Wolfe's signature colors, navy blue and cream, and the reference and welcome desk will be shaped in the form of a parenthesis, mimicking the style of his personal desk. Various artifacts, letters and manuscripts will be on display inside the area, while a portrait of Wolfe in his hallmark white suit will be a defining visual element as you enter the space.

"One of the things I'm excited about is that Wolfe did the most amazing signatures using calligraphy - they have all kinds of loops and swirls to them," said Vaughan. "He was larger than life, and you can see that in his signature. We have identified a couple of candidates to include that signature on the wall, and we are expecting the plans to include doors that will be partially glass, providing a good line of sight toward this visual tribute."

The room will be taken offline on April 21, following the completion of Winter Term exams, to prep for construction. This will begin with the removal of furniture, books and artifacts currently in the space. Construction will begin shortly thereafter, which will necessitate the closure of the Boatright Room and the entire Special Collections area to the university community and general public. The Special Collections staff will continue to operate from temporary office space located within Leyburn Library, and requests for information or assistance can be made via email at specialcollections@wlu.edu.

"Special Collections will be closed to onsite research, and our archives and reading rooms will be inaccessible to the public during the renovations," said Sims. "We will still have access to our collections and will continue to provide remote references until we can reopen. The primary goal is to ensure our collections are safe and secure from construction dust, so there could be longer delays, but we intend to continue providing a valuable service to the university and community at-large during the construction."