Old Main (University of Arkansas)
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Old Main is the oldest building on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the University (especially to alumni and residents of the state of Arkansas), and of higher education in general in Arkansas.
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[edit] History
Old Main was constructed between 1873 and 1875 as part of a land grant for the state of Arkansas. At this time it was known as University Hall. It was designed by Chicago architect John Mills Van Osdel, and construction was carried out by William Mayes of the firm of Mayes and Oliver. The contract to construct the Hall was signed by the superintendent of public instruction, Joseph Carter Corbin, who was the highest elected African American official in Arkansas during Reconstruction.
Most of the building materials used in Old Main came from local areas, because the nearest river port was 60 miles away and the nearest railroad was 150 miles away. 136 miles of lumber came by oxen-drawn wagons from the Peter Van Winkle Sawmill near historic War Eagle Mill in Benton County. The red exterior bricks were made from clay dug on campus and fired in kilns built west of Old Main. The brown sandstone used for the foundation and basement was also quarried from near the building site. The five-story building contained 2,600,000 bricks when originally constructed.
After nearly a hundred years of use, Old Main had really begun to show its age. So in 1981 the building was closed for reasons of safety. After a considerable period of debate over whether to restore the old building or tear it down, restoration work began in the summer of 1989 and Old Main was renovated extensively. At this same time, Ellis Island was under renovation as well. Coincidently, the carpet used in the hallway of Old Main is the same carpet that was used in the Ellis Island renovation. The renovation of Giffels Auditorium included acquiring every light bulb known to exist in the world that could fit its antique fixtures. The renovation proceeded ahead of schedule, and it was finished during the spring semester of 1991 at a cost of $10 million. It was rededicated during the Fall of 1991.
In 2005 the building underwent another round of renovations although not as severe. It received a new roof, replacement of aging mortar, and a clock face was finally installed in the south tower.
During its history, Old Main has housed many different departments and served many different administrative functions. It currently houses the offices of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, its honors program and five academic departments, as well as classrooms and meeting spaces.
[edit] Aspects of Old Main
[edit] Senior Walk
Senior Walk is a tradition unique to the University of Arkansas. Each year, all graduates have their name carved into the sidewalk that circles, and cuts through campus. The walk begins directly in front of Old Main with the first graduating class, of 1871.
[edit] Front doors
The front doors of the building still retain their original hinges. A legend circulating in the 1980s had a local fraternity blowing the doors open with a cannon as part of a Vietnam protest in the late 1960s. Several different logos featuring twin cannons and the symbolic front fascia of the building were common on various fratnerity paraphernalia during this period.
[edit] Cornerstone
The cornerstone of the building lists its original cost in 1871 dollars, $186,000.
[edit] Other original features
The sweeping stairwell leading to the attic of the building found at the center of the top floor is original to the structure. Some of the large benches found on the lower floors supposedly were original to the building, pulled out of storage after its extensive renovation. The walls of the rooms in the central "shotgun" hallway are structural and largely conform to the plan of the original building. The cast-iron sides of the seats in the Giffels auditorium are supposedly cast from original molds.
[edit] Code compliance
Prior to the extensive restoration of 1986-1991, the building was fondly remembered for its large, open, and decorative central stairwell. Unfortunately, this stairwell effectively formed a chimney which violated any number of building codes to which the renovated building would have to conform. To preserve the stairwell's appearance and function while still conforming to modern safety standards, an innovative automated fire protection system was installed which would slide out and close protective fire doors from concealed storage areas on each floor, effectively sealing the stairwell off. This system was quite problematic in its early years, generating a considerable number of memorable false alarms.
In the original building, stairwells were also sited at either end of the central "shotgun" hallway. These were closed off during the 1986-1991 restoration. Additional stairwells were sited at the ends of the wings, again to conform to building codes.
The original 19th century corinthian iron columns, featured prominently in almost all photographs of Old Main's wings, remain in place to this day. To conform to building codes, all but one floor's worth have been reinforced with welded steel and encased in fireproof boxes.
The original columns can still be seen in the Giffels auditorium on the second floor of the building because of the generosity of the auditorium's namesake. The story goes that when the aged Mrs. Giffels, a graduate of the university, was given a tour of the pre-restoration building after it had closed, she asked what it might take to preserve at least some of the distinctive columns. When provided a rather exhorbitant number by the tour guide, Mrs. Giffels is said to have asked, "will you take a check for that, or do I need to call my bank?"
In order to preserve these columns while still conforming to building codes, they needed to be rendered non-structural. The north wing of the building was therefore completely reconstructed such that loads are carried by the walls instead of the columns. The distinctive "inset" look of the windows of the modern Giffels auditorium are a result of this restucturing and reinforcement.
[edit] Ghost legend
There was a rumor of an actual ghost, Professor Ghost, which was started during the restoration period when some of the construction workers noticed some strange happenings and several weird sounds, particularly at night. As years went on, the Professor Ghost legend turned into a few different professors and a few different students. Not many students know about this rumor, but the story of the 1900 graduates is more notable. The story goes that after the class of 1900 graduated, they all died horrible deaths. Now anyone who steps on the number 1900 on the Senior Walk dies before graduation. (so the rumor says) Because of the lack of efficient information, the rumor has remained a mystery.
[edit] Arboretum
The arboretum (the large lawn area in front of Old Main) is a home to one of every type of tree in Arkansas and once used to be a training ground for military officers when military tactics were taught at the University. It also served as a place where the band would march and play. Today, the band practices in lot 56 (a parking lot on campus), and the arboretum is simply a green space where students can study, play games, or simply stroll through and enjoy.
[edit] James William Fulbright statue
In 2002, a statue of former faculty member, senator, and namesake of the college housed in Old Main, J. William Fulbright, was erected in the rear courtyard of the building. President Bill Clinton gave a much-anticipated speech at the dedication ceremony.
[edit] Bells
In 1879, the first official bell for Old Main was installed. That bell still exists today, but is no longer in regular use. The last two times it was used was when it rang 10 times in 1985 to mark the $10 million received through donations for the restoration process and in July 1989 to mark the beginning of renovation. New electronic bells were put in during 1949 and dedicated to those students lost in any war. These bells wore out and were replaced with a computerized bell device. It plays the Westminster Chimes every hour from 8 am- 8pm, a musical selection after noon and the alma mater after five o'clock. It is said that the hourly chime is in unison with the London bells.
[edit] Towers
There are two things about the towers that arouse rumors. The first is that the actual blueprints for the building in Illinois shows the two towers of Old Main reversed. In truth to the actual blueprints, the way that the north tower looks should actually be switched with the way the south tower looks. One rumor says that when the contractor was looking at the plans for the building, he was drunk and got the two towers mixed up, but many newspapers deny that the rumor is true. Some say the contractor wanted the building to be somewhat different from the one in Illinois.
The second rumor has to do with the difference in heights of the two towers (the north tower is an estimated 2.8 meters taller than the south tower). This rumor has to do with the architect, who was from the North. According to the rumor, he made the north tower just a little bit taller than the south tower as an expression of support for the victory that the North had over the South during the Civil War.
[edit] Clock
Even though when Old Main was built, the southern tower was meant to hold a clock, one was not put in when the building was constructed. There is some speculation however, that it did have a clock at one point. This is based on some pictures taken in the late 1800s and early 1900s that show a clock with Roman numerals. The rumor is that the numerals were painted over, leaving just a round hole with white boards and no clock. No evidence has been found to prove or disprove this rumor. Although there was no clock face, the building did have a bell in the opposite tower that rang every hour and half hour and could be heard all over campus and most of downtown Fayettville and surrounding areas.
When President Bill Clinton gave a much-anticipated speech at the J. William Fulbright statue dedication ceremony, Clinton asked Chancellor John White, "Where is the clock?" Three years later, Old Main received a clock face.
On October 27, 2005, after more than 130 years without a functioning clock face, a specially constructed clock was completed and dedicated [1] on the South Tower. This was in celebration of reaching a "Campaign for Twenty-First Century" campaign goal of $1 billion and also included the replacement of aging mortar between bricks, replacing the roof, and other minor aesthetic improvements to the building.
[edit] Plaques
Two plaques are on each side of Old Main giving credit to who helped to restore the building to its original form, but these are not the two plaques originally on the building. Originally one of the plaques had the names of the first Board of Trustees cut in it, but when the 1874 board took over construction, the stone was turned and new words were cut into it. It is not known which plaque holds the first true words, but it is rumored that the words were changed because it had the name of a black trustee.
[edit] Spoofer Stone
The legend of Spoofer Stone, a rock that rests on the lawn of Old Main, is something that is told to entering freshmen by orientation leaders. The rumor is that lovers were not allowed to see each other, and so they would put notes in the cracks of the rock for their lovers to pick up. When a student proposed to his girlfriend, he was supposed to give a piece of the rock with the ring. Another legend is that if a man proposes to a virgin who is sitting on the rock the south tower of Old Main will collapse.
[edit] Pennant Day
Pennant day was a hazing game between juniors and seniors that took place at Old Main beginning in 1903. Seniors would place their pennant on the north tower and then told juniors to "leave it lay." The two classes would battle to see if the juniors could get the pennant. Though no deaths are known to have occurred, several students fell or were pushed off the roof during the game. These unfortunate incidents eventually ended the tradition.
