MORGANTOWN — Marking the return of a beloved tradition, West Virginia University will “deck the hall” — the iconic Woodburn Hall — by welcoming students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the community to the Woodburn Hall Lighting Ceremony Tuesday, Dec. 2, on the Downtown area of campus.

Festivities begin at Woodburn Circle at 6 p.m. followed by the official program at 6:30 p.m. when University President Michael T. Benson will be joined by 9-year-old Kinsey Wolfe, a WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s patient from Tunnelton, her parents — Justin and Sara — and three siblings for the official lighting, along with community partners from The Huntington National Bank (“Huntington”) and Northeast Natural Energy, both of which made the lighting possible.

“Traditions define us as Mountaineers and there is no University holiday tradition that matches the lighting of Woodburn Hall,” President Benson said. “Our friends at Huntington and Northeast Natural Energy understand the importance of bringing people together to build community and create memories during the holiday season and all year long.”

Representatives with Huntington and Northeast Natural Energy will make the ceremony sweeter by serving hot cocoa and cookies.

“For many of us at Huntington, the lighting of Woodburn Hall is something we remember experiencing as college students. For some of our colleagues, it is even one of their childhood holiday memories,” said Chad Prather, president of Huntington’s West Virginia Region. “At Huntington, we are committed to strengthening the communities we serve, and traditions draw communities together in purpose and spirit. It is an honor to have the opportunity to help President Benson and the University bring this tradition back to WVU.”

Mike John, president and CEO of Northeast Natural Energy, shared his enthusiasm for partnering with the University this holiday season.

“Reestablishing the tradition of the lighting of Woodburn Hall is a truly magical event for our team, for the community, and for Mountaineers everywhere,” said John, a member of the WVU Foundation Board of Directors. “Woodburn Hall is an iconic and historic building, and we have many proud WVU alumni on our team and among our families at NNE who have enjoyed this holiday tradition. We are honored to help illuminate the University, our campus, and our community for years to come.”

Free event parking will be available beginning at 5 p.m. in nearby University lots, including Area 1 at White Hall, Area 5 near Field Hall, Area 6 on Maiden Lane, Area 7 at Reynolds Hall, Area 9 at the Mountainlair parking garage, Area 10 at the Life Sciences Building, Area 11 at Reynolds Hall and nearby short-term lots.

With WVU Facilities Management taking the lead, lighting installation work began at Woodburn Hall on Friday, Nov. 14, and was scheduled to continue through today.

“My team is so proud to be part of the University’s return to a holiday tradition,” Adam James, construction manager for WVU Planning, Design and Construction and project manager for the lighting project, said. “We’re all part of the University community and this high-visibility project — which will shine for all to see — is one we take personally.”

Project collaborators include March-Westin and Three Rivers Lights.

Built in 1876, Woodburn Hall is the second oldest building on the Morgantown Campus. Its relighting is the next step in renewed campus beautification efforts under the direction of President Benson.

“We look forward to bringing the entire community together to celebrate the joys of the season,” Benson said. “Let’s Go!”

Once upon a time, Woodburn Hall shone as a beacon against the early sunsets and chilly nights of the darkest time of the year.

“Woodburn will shine once again, bringing generations of Mountaineers together in the warm glow of tradition,” WVU President Michael T. Benson proudly proclaimed in his first State of the University speech in October.

Mountaineers are a family, and like most families, we have our own holiday traditions. The Woodburn Hall transformation has (literally) been one of the brightest.

Woodburn Hall has seen a lot — from a post-apocalyptic appearance in the Fallout 76 video game to popping up as the background image in marketing materials for a recent Hallmark movie. 

And that’s not even taking into consideration the thousands of students and faculty who’ve spent time in its classrooms, as the building has been home to nearly every WVU school or college over the years. 

Named New Hall (not the most original decision) when it was built in 1876, it has at some point hosted the WVU library, The Athenaeum student newspaper, and the WVU Cadet Corps. The first female WVU students took classes here, agriculture students tried unsuccessfully to garden out in the Circle, and commencements were held up on the 3rd floor. In 1901, the structure was christened with the name we know it by. Shortly before 1900, the College of Arts and Sciences settled in.

It’s hard to imagine campus without Woodburn Circle, but by 1950, the time ticking away on the Seth Thomas clock on the tower had taken its toll, and Woodburn Hall narrowly avoided demolition! It was seen as obsolescent in the 1960s, and plans were made to tear down the site of thousands of future photo ops. But in 1973, it became the first WVU structure on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Renovations followed, hopefully fixing issues such as those of Dennis O’Brien of the History Department, who found that it snowed in his office, even with the windows closed. Apparently, working in your own personal snow globe wasn’t very comfortable.

A Woodburn Hall lighting ceremony was first held in 1987. The effect of having white lights outline the windows, clock tower, and 3rd story roof lines was instantly magical.

According to Becky Lofstead (’76, journalism), who spent years as the director of WVU News and Information Services, “As I recall, it started with the leadership of Vice President for Institutional Advancement Ed Flowers (under then-President Neil Bucklew). Judge Flowers was very forward-thinking and always looking for ways to bring the University community together. He and others were looking for a way to celebrate the season for students, faculty, and staff, and involve the community. Woodburn Hall is such an iconic building and in such a beautiful setting that it made sense to decorate it and hold an outdoor celebration in the Circle.”

She added, “We invited the University Choral Ensemble or a local choir to perform, as well as involved the crowd in singing carols. It was always a breathtaking sight as Woodburn Hall glowed against the night sky.” Hot cocoa, cider, and cookies were served, and often a young patient from WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s would be chosen to flip the switch, turning the lights on. 

As a WVU press release for the 2000 event perfectly stated, “Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or no holiday at all, December is traditionally a time for family and friends and promoting peace on earth.”

Every year the WVU family looked forward to getting shivers and goosebumps from more than the cold temperatures as a glowing Woodburn Hall welcomed the holiday season, with the lights staying on well into January to cheer Mountaineers returning from their holiday break.

A Daily Athenaeum story in November 2007 reported that the approximately 7,000 miniature white lights remained lit for 40 days after the ceremony and were permanently placed on the building but taken down every 2 years for maintenance.

In 2011, the holiday lights were removed for good when the exterior of Woodburn received a $3.9 million overhaul. Work included a new roof, restored stonework, new copper-lined gutters, and restoration of architectural wood elements. A press release reported, “This year, LED lights will wash over the building, scattering shafts of gold and blue before changing to white in mid-January to begin a new tradition to highlight the iconic building year-round.” And the lighting ceremony was discontinued.

While still festive, this energy-efficient effect didn’t create the same deep emotional response from the WVU “Whos down in Whoville.” Chris Tarabella, who worked in the Eberly College’s dean’s office, believes that people felt the LED lighting “didn’t feel appropriate to the tradition.” 

By 2015, students tried to spark a movement to return to the original style of lights. A November 11, 2015, Daily Athenaeum article mentioned that biology student Layne Veneri tweeted a picture of Woodburn Hall with the hashtag-full comment “Hey #WVU, you should start lighting up Woodburn like this again for the Holiday Season … #RelightWoodburn.”

In the DA, student-writer Jordan Miller noted that “After 346 retweets, 407 favorites, and having an impression on more than 56,000 Twitter users, the idea to relight Woodburn left social media and gained traction in the real world, with the Student Government Association unanimously passing a resolution in support of the movement.” Alas, the 2015 wish for the re-lighting was not to be.

Fast forward about 10 years, and WVU and its new president happily announced that, “Thanks to the generosity of Huntington Bank and Northeast Natural Energy, lights will adorn the most recognizable building on the Downtown area of campus this holiday season for the first time in more than a decade.”

President Michael T. Benson saw a photo of Woodburn Hall when it was lit up in the original style and wondered why it no longer took place. As a historian, he understands the importance of events like this: “Traditions can last for centuries, and common experiences tie us together.” 

The President remembered from his student days at Oxford that only senior members and fellows of the colleges could walk on the lawns, and at Notre Dame the front steps to the 2nd floor of the Main Building couldn’t be used by a student until after they graduate. When he was president at Eastern Kentucky University, students rubbed the toe of a Daniel Boone statue for good luck before exams.

He reflected, “We lost a lot of traditions to Covid and need a unifying event like this. Colleges often take their host communities for granted, overlooking how events like move-in day can disrupt local life. Traditions have to be real, and they have to resonate. What better way to say ‘thank you’ than sharing an iconic kick start to the holiday?”