Designing the Buildings and Campus: The Master Plan of 1960

In June 1959 UVa hired the architectural firm Joseph Saunders & Associates of Alexandria to produce a plan for the construction of George Mason College. The firm’s August 1960 report, known as the Master Plan, presented the entire concept of the new college to be built at Fairfax. Included in the report were:

* the Program, which outlined the stages of construction (both initial *and future)
* the Design Analysis, which detailed the site development (use of land, *grading, and landscaping), building design (architecture, aesthetics, *and construction), and mechanical design (heating, cooling, and *plumbing)
* recommendations
* specifications

The original plan called for the Fairfax campus to be built in four stages. Stage One consisted of four buildings named A, B, C, and D (renamed North, South, West, and East, respectively, after construction was completed) and a lecture hall that was capable of seating 250 students. Building A (later North and today known as Finley) was slated to house administrative offices, some classroom space, and lecture rooms. Building B (later South and

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