Former Location of Christopher Newport College

As a result of the population boom after the Second World War, there was an increasing demand for institutions of higher education in the Hampton Roads area. The city of Newport News and the Commonwealth of Virginia decided that a junior college should be established on the Peninsula as a division of the College of William and Mary. On March 3rd, 1960, the Virginia General Assembly passed the bill that would begin the process of establishing Christopher Newport College.

The Newport News City Council voted that the new college use the John W. Daniel Elementary School as a temporary campus. Built in 1899, it required a massive overhaul before it could be used for a college, so the city granted CNC $125,000. On September 18th, 1961, CNC opened its doors for the first time when it welcomed its first class of 155 undergraduate students. CNC would remain at the Daniel Elementary School until its main campus was ready in the fall of 1966.