10 years later: Former Virginia Intermont College sits unused and in disrepair

BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) – On May 20, 2014, Virginia Intermont College shut its doors due to financial issues and the loss of its accreditation. The college opened in 1884 and became co-educational in 1972.

College alumni Ryan Gray was almost two years into his time as an admissions counselor after graduating in 2012. He said the closure didn’t feel real until the final moments.

“It was just surreal,” said Gray. “I didn’t want to believe it. But when it did happen that very last day in May, standing in line to get our last checks, that’s when I knew it was real.”

The closure had a ripple effect, stirring emotions in those who had long since stepped foot on campus.

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“I came up here the day that they had their final graduation and it was just heartbreaking,” said Jackie Weaver Dennison, who graduated in 1974. “To think that this college would never see the rooms, the forms filled again or anything. And it just was a very, very sad situation.”

“I was on the alumni board at the time, so we knew about it,” said Molly Manges Boyle, who graduated in 1973. “I remember because we were across the street at the alumni house with the board and we were discussing it. And there were tears, a lot of tears were shed.”

In 2016, the property was purchased by U.S. Magis International, a Chinese-owned company based out of New York. The news of a purchase gave hope to those who cared for the campus.

“Initially they said it was going to be the Bristol Business College,” said Dennison. “My thought was, ‘Well, at least it’s going to be used.'”

“I had really high hopes and I was excited to see some of the progress that had begun to be made,” said Gray.

The Virginia Business College was slated to open in the Fall of 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The college never opened, and the buildings have sat boarded up and broken, with the interior in disrepair.

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Alumni said the current situation leaves them heartbroken.

“It just is very distressful and depressing, and I wish that something could be done,” said Boyle.

Bristol, Virginia Mayor Becky Nave said that while the campus’ state is upsetting, there isn’t much the city is able to do.

“We are in a bad situation for that because it is owned by someone and they’re paying their taxes,” said Nave. “They keep things up to date, other than the property.”

Nave added that the city has taken up mowing the property, but not without a fee.

“The city’s been mowing it and trying to keep the grass cut,” said Nave. “We’ve just been putting that on to their tax bill.”

Nave said the city is in contact with the property owners. They are working alongside U.S. Magis to try and keep the campus from deteriorating further.

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