Virginia Union University was founded in 1865, just after the Civil War, to give newly emancipated African Americans the opportunity to receive a good education. The massive Kingsley Hall, designed by John Hopper Coxhead, was erected in 1899 and thereafter became the university�s largest building. Used as a dormitory, its first residents had to climb ladders to reach each of the building�s four floors, as the structure was initially built without staircases.
