Aiden Bunning
Virginia Intermont College's former campus now remains mostly destroyed with remaining structures boarded up.
As the sun peeked over the bare tree-covered mountains, the smokey air gave way to reveal the smoldering remains of a once-local staple. Virginia Intermont College’s main historic halls, which had been closed for the past ten years, were nothing more than lifeless facades. To many members of the community, the damage seemed unimaginable.
During the early morning of Dec. 20, 2024, a fire erupted on the campus of Virginia Intermont College. By 1:15 a.m., the Main Hall of the school was engulfed in flames. The fire was not quickly contained, unlike past fires on the site, and quickly began to spread.
Shortly past 2:00 a.m., the Main Hall collapsed and the fire had spread to surrounding buildings. There was hesitation from the fire crews to send anyone into the buildings because of concerns about their structural integrity with their already under-maintained state.
Efforts to extinguish the blaze were left to the use of hoses from a distance, but this proved less effective.
Between the weak wood and abandoned materials, the fire did not face any lack of fuel and took hours to put out. Firefighters from many departments across the region spent the early morning hours on the historic hill desperately trying to save the local landmark.
As the sun reached the sky, the true level of the damage became apparent to the firefighters on the site and the surrounding residents. The Main Hall consisted of a few remaining facades and piles of bricks and charred wood that had fallen to the foundation. In addition, the West Hall, East Hall, and administrative buildings were destroyed by the “inferno”.
Instead of the iconic bell tower, pillars of smoke pierced the sky and were visible from across the city in the early morning. Smouldering continued throughout the day, leaving a lingering scent.
The disaster made up one of the largest fires to ever occur in the region, brought to such a scale by the campus’ deteriorated state. The mass of destruction was viewed as a “tragedy” for the community and the loss of a “heart” in the city.
To much of the community, the devastating damage was also eye-opening to the loss of an opportunity and the effects of the college’s closing.
The property is owned by the U.S. Magis International Education Center—a company that is New York-based and Chinese-owned—and despite claims to revitalize the property into a new college, they neglected the historic site until its eventual implosion.
The owners continuously ignored statements from the city about the condition of the campus and indefinitely delayed the opening of the new business school. Following the closing of Virginia Intermont College, community members were looking forward to the proposed new use of the campus. It was evident that the site held the ability to serve many uses that could have been beneficial to the area.
The destruction of the main buildings ruined hopes of this and revealed the true lack of efforts of the owners. Their neglect set up the abandoned state that fueled the fire.
“I feel so much good could have been done for the community with those buildings instead of them sitting there in disrepair,” said VI graduate Tammy Nichols.
While the owners can be blamed for the state of the property that led to the quick spread of the fire, the exact cause is still under investigation.
Efforts to reach out to the property owners revealed that there was no insurance for the property. As a result, officials believed that the responsibility to clean up the site would fall to the city.
Continuing smolders continued through the rest of the month, leaving persistent problems for the fire department.
In the time that followed, it was determined that the remaining facades of the historic buildings were a hazard. Reports claim that the old walls swayed in the breeze with a lack of internal structure.
With the state of the site, demolition started in early January of this year. The cost, which was estimated to be about $41,000, was expected to fall upon the city due to the owner’s continual lack of responses.
In the process of tearing down the crumbling buildings, efforts to preserve elements of the structures were made. But given the dangerous conditions, the salvaged items were limited.
Included in the retrieved remains, however, the cornerstone of the Main Hall was removed from the position that it sat in for over 130 years. As workers chipped away at surrounding brick, a crack formed in the back of the large stone.
This mistake revealed a time capsule that was put in place when the building was first built in 1891. The old box had been mostly forgotten for the past century, but historians brought to light old articles that explained the placement of the capsule and a related ceremony.
The city continued to think of ways to legally manage the site and looked through opportunities for selling the property. However, the continual lack of cooperation from the owners placed a block on these efforts.
For over 130 years, Virginia Intermont College has been a vital part of the community. The college was an attraction for students from all over the world, diversifying the region and placing Bristol on a world scale.
The institution offered opportunities that the region was lacking, opening up chances for the women of southwest Virginia. VI moved beyond just colleges in the region, but also in the nation as the first 2-year college to gain accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
“It was a place that felt like home and that I had spent a lot of time at,” said VI alum Amber McMurray. “It’s disheartening to know that [it] is no more.”
Beyond the loss of the life of the campus, there was a great deal of physical cost to history. The Main Hall was on the National Register of Historic Places and was an iconic beacon within the city’s skyline.
However, there may be hope for using the now bare site. In response to the abandoned property and the city’s efforts, Virginia state senator Dr. Todd Pillion set up the bill SB 1476, which includes laws that allow for a city to sell blighted properties, as well as have control over who buys them.
In addition, a city would gain the ability to manage how quickly properties are developed. The city would be able to form a petition that the circuit court would assign a commissioner to pass the property to the city.
The bill passed the state Senate 32-8 with amendments, as well as the House 97-0 with additional amendments. The amendments by the House were approved by the Senate, and the bill was passed onto the desk of the governor, Glenn Youngkin.
Youngkin approved the bill, allowing for the concept to be formed into a law. Bristol will hold the ability to manage the destroyed property and sell it to an investor or company that would make use of the site for the better of the community. While much of the iconic property now has been lost, this bill presents hope for the remainder of the campus.
But now at the dawn of spring, the newly growing wildflowers find themselves on top of an open hill that lacks the shadow of a once revolutionary institution.