Although the Jepson Alumni Center is a modern facility completed in 1997, its history dates back to 1915. In that year, William Lawrence Bottomley, the eminent early twentieth-century New York architect, designed and built his first house in the Richmond area. The historic 6,000 square foot home was located just across the road from the University of Richmond, which had arrived in the neighborhood only one year earlier.
In 1995 the Bottomley House was given to the university by neighbors and benefactors Mr. and Mrs. William H. Goodwin, Jr. The next spring the house was moved across River Road onto a one-acre site on campus. Renovations on the house began later that year and a conference center was added, enlarging the facility to 28,300 square feet.
