Symbol for MCV

by Anuj Singh

The Medical College of Virginia’s Egyptian building is a historical symbol for Virginia Commonwealth University and the Medical College of Virginia.

The Egyptian building, located on E. Marshall Street, was built in 1844 by Philadelphia architect Thomas W. Stewart for the Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College (now MCV).

Jodi Koste is a librarian and local historian at MCV’s Tompkins-McCaw Library; she thinks the building has a lot of historical value.

“The fact that we have provided medical instruction in the (Egyptian) building since the fall of 1844 is remarkable…the Egyptian building is a wonderful architectural and historical asset for the university,” Koste said.

The building, formerly known as the Old College building is renowned for its unique Egyptian revival design.

“The building’s unusual architectural style gives us (MCV) a building that is distinctive…I think it gives students a sense of history and understanding of how far this institution has come,” Koste said.

Brian Nguyen is a student at VCU’s School of Medicine and vice president of student life for the Student Government Association at MCV.

“None of the other buildings at MCV have the history and charm of the Egyptian building, it has become the symbol of MCV by default,” Nguyen said.

“The architecture of the building is magnificent, and the hieroglyphics on the walls are a nice touch,” Nguyen said.

Like Koste, Nguyen thinks the Egyptian building has historical significance.

“The (Egyptian) building serves as an icon for a medical school rich in history…once inside you really realize how old the building is,” Nguyen said.

In 1969 the National Register of Historic Places recognized it as the oldest building south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

The five story building serves MCV in many different ways.

It houses the 270-seat Baruch Auditorium, named after former graduate Dr. Simon Baruch.

There are small classrooms on the second floor that are used by all of MCV’s schools.

The building also houses the Office of Continuing Medical Education and the Dept. of Physical Medicine and Physical Rehabilitation.

“There are some older medical education buildings in the country, but the Egyptian building is certainly significant for VCU,” Koste said.

Koste said the Egyptian building has long been a symbol for VCU and MCV.

“Dr. William T. Sanger (President of MCV, 1925-1956) added buildings image to the official college seal…the buildings image was also used on early college publications,” Koste said.

In its 163 years of existence it has been used by every school of MCV at one time or another.