Wisser Hall: From Books To War Games
Fort Monroe
Completed in 1909, Wisser Hall (Building #138) originally served as the Coast Artillery School Library. Four floors of stacks in the rear wing held up to 60,000 volumes. Noted architect Francis B. Wheaton designed the building. It was named after Brigadier General John P. Wisser.
After World War II, the building was converted to office space and used by subsequent army commands headquartered at Fort Monroe. It was most recently occupied by the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). During that time, the building was devoted to war-gaming exercise and analysis.
Look on the main stairway for two plaques commemorating the high water marks of the Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane in 1933 and Hurricane Isabel in 2003.
Architectural Gem
Wisser Hall was clearly meant to serve as a showpiece for the Coast Artillery School. Its classical faηade is in the Beaux Arts architectural style and features Flemish bond brick walls on a limestone foundation. Inside you will find the most luxurious ornamentation of any Fort Monroe former command building, including elaborate moldings and ironwork, terrazzo flooring, marble stairs, and a columned hall.
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Brigadier General John P. Wisser was closely associated with the US Artillery School and later the Coast Artillery
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Flemish bond is a decorative style of brickwork in which bricks are laid in an alternating pattern of short sides (headers) and long sides (stretchers) facing outwards.
Erected by Fort Monroe Authority; National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education • War, Cold. A significant historical year for this entry is 1909.
Location. 37° 0.132′ N, 76° 18.663′ W. Marker is in Hampton, Virginia. It is in Fort Monroe. It is on Ingalls Road just north of Fenwick Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 30 Ingalls Rd, Fort Monroe VA 23651, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Peninsula and in Coastal Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Why Was The Fort Built Here? (a few steps from this marker); A Bay Worth Preserving (a few steps from this marker); Hurricane Isabel (a few steps from this marker); Flood of August 23, 1933 (a few steps from this marker); Fort Algernourne (a few steps from this marker); Who Built Fort Monroe?
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 9, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 246 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 9, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
