Houses on College Street (Shenandoah Seminary)

The 1875 establishment here of Shenandoah Seminary, later called Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music, sparked much activity on College Street. The college, now known as Shenandoah University, moved to Winchester in 1960 and its buildings were converted into residences. In 1899 the college erected the three-story red brick former Howe Memorial Hall (340 College). Howe Hall was followed in 1910 by two brick Colonial Revival buildings, one of which is the former Administration Building (now an apartment building) at 355 College. It is three stories in height on a raised basement and is dominated by an ill-proportioned, full-height, pedimented portico that is furnished with balconies at each level. Conservatory faculty, a number of whom also had ties to the Ruebush-Kieffer Company, built many of the Queen Anne houses interspersed with the campus buildings. Several of these residences were built with material from Shrum Brothers' brickyard. Two examples are the J. H. Hall House (1898) and the James H. Ruebush House (1904) at 305 and 315 College, respectively, both two stories in height with iron cresting on their roofs. Ruebush served as head of the music department and later president of Shenandoah College and was also associated with the press (RH32).

A Bridgewater builder named Dovel reportedly built the Hoenshall House (1902; 363 College) for a president of Shenandoah College. This richly decorated frame Queen Anne house is a near twin to the Patterson House (MC21) in Chase City. These two pattern-book houses feature steep multigabled roofs, eaves decorated with sawnwork, a recessed first-floor corner, a wraparound porch with conical-roofed corner, and a gabled balcony.