Virginia Fisheries Laboratory, now Virginia Institute of Marine Science, opened in its original location in Yorktown in 1940. Within a decade it had moved to Gloucester Point and slowly expanded along the peninsula. In the 1970s an oyster hatchery was proposed to allow testing of seed oyster planting methods and development of disease resistant oyster strains to support the state’s seafood industry. State funding resulted in this International Style laboratory and hatchery, in use until 2023.
Hanbury Preservation Consulting conducted an intensive survey and documentation of the building prior to its demolition.