The 1908 Vawter Hall and the Old President’s House of 1907 constitute the historic core of Virginia State University, the oldest state-supported college for African Americans in the United States. The school, in the southern Chesterfield County town of Ettrick, was chartered in 1882 as the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute following up on a pledge of the Readjuster party, led by William Mahone, to establish a state institute of higher learning for blacks. The first buildings have disappeared, but Vawter Hall and the Old President’s House today symbolize the historic continuity of the institution. A dignified but austere brick structure, Vawter Hall is in the plain academic style of the era and originally housed administrative offices, a bookstore, cafeteria, and auditorium. The modified Queen Anne-style former president’s house now contains Virginia State University offices, and has been renamed Storum Hall. Vawter Hall’s architect was Harrison Waite of nearby Petersburg, who likely also designed the Old President’s House. In 2021, Vawter Hall was renamed Lula Johnson Hall by VSU.

Additional documentation was approved by the National Register in 2024 for Vawter Hall and the Old President’s House.  The updated nomination added the name changes that had been made to both buildings by Virginia State University, as Vawter Hall has been renamed Lula Johnson Hall and the Old President’s House is now Storum Hall.  The period of significance for the two halls has been corrected, now beginning in 1907 with the construction of Storum Hall.  The previous areas of significance for Vawter Hall and the Old President’s House were Education and Social History, and African American Ethnic Heritage has now been added.  Both of these academic buildings remain in use by VSU.
[Additional Documentation NRHP Approved: 3/11/2025]