The Second Version of the main Building, ca. 1858

This daguerreotype of the second building, taken about 1858, is the last known depiction of the structure before a destructive fire on February 8, 1859, left standing only its outer walls to the second floor. The building had been recently repaired, and the large columns supporting the balcony were a post-Revolutionary addition. Yet, the east front of the building retained much of its original appearance almost a century and a half after its construction (Fig. 11, College of William and Mary Archives).