Administration Building (Texas Tech University)
Encyclopedia
The Administration Building is a structure on the campus of Texas Tech University
in Lubbock, Texas
. It was one of the original buildings on the campus, and is modeled after the Universidad de Alcala de Henares in Alcalá de Henares, Spain
. The Admin building has three floors and a basement and includes twin bell towers, double wings, and a courtyard. Some of the offices housed in the building include the Chancellor's Office, President's Office and Board of Regents Office.
Spanish Alcaldia or city hall. The north facade of the building contains very fine detailed ornamentation and is symbolic of the historical background of the region, and the philosophical aims and goals of the early Texas Technological College. The selection of much of the ornamentation of the building is credited to Texas Tech College's first president, Dr. Paul Horn including two quotes on the north facade. Additionally the seals of Spain, France, Mexico, the Confederacy, the United States and Texas are also contained on the north facade and symbolize the six nations that have had sovereignty over Texas, at one time or another. Over the ten twin-arched windows of the second level of the north facade appear ten portrait medallions of significant figures in American and Texas history. The portraits include Christopher Columbus
, George Washington
, Abraham Lincoln
, Robert E. Lee
, Woodrow Wilson
, James Hogg
, Albert Sidney Johnston
, Davy Crockett
, Steven F. Austin, and Sam Houston
.
and the newest bells were cast by the Meek & Watson Foundry in Ohio. The estimated value of the collection is $250,000.
The carillon has been featured in the Carol of Lights every year since its inception, in 1959. Additionally the carillon is played at 1:00 p.m. on July 4
in conjunction with the ceremonial ringing of the Liberty Bell
, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. The carillon also features Sunday evening concerts each summer.
, is located in the courtyard of the Admin Building. The bench was a gift to the university by the class of 1931. It is was announced tradition that no freshman were allowed to sit on the bench, a tradition that had faded by the 1950s.
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
. It was one of the original buildings on the campus, and is modeled after the Universidad de Alcala de Henares in Alcalá de Henares, Spain
Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares , meaning Citadel on the river Henares, is a Spanish city, whose historical centre is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, and one of the first bishoprics founded in Spain...
. The Admin building has three floors and a basement and includes twin bell towers, double wings, and a courtyard. Some of the offices housed in the building include the Chancellor's Office, President's Office and Board of Regents Office.
Architecture
Although the north facade draws inspiration from the Universidad de Alcala de Henares, the Administration Building is reminiscent of a typical mid-sixteenth century, Plateresque periodPlateresque
Plateresque, meaning "in the manner of a silversmith" , was an artistic movement, especially architectural, traditionally held to be exclusive to Spain and its territories, which appeared between the late Gothic and early Renaissance in the late 15th century, and spread over the next two centuries...
Spanish Alcaldia or city hall. The north facade of the building contains very fine detailed ornamentation and is symbolic of the historical background of the region, and the philosophical aims and goals of the early Texas Technological College. The selection of much of the ornamentation of the building is credited to Texas Tech College's first president, Dr. Paul Horn including two quotes on the north facade. Additionally the seals of Spain, France, Mexico, the Confederacy, the United States and Texas are also contained on the north facade and symbolize the six nations that have had sovereignty over Texas, at one time or another. Over the ten twin-arched windows of the second level of the north facade appear ten portrait medallions of significant figures in American and Texas history. The portraits include Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
, George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
, Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, James Hogg
James Hogg
James Hogg was a Scottish poet and novelist who wrote in both Scots and English.-Early life:James Hogg was born in a small farm near Ettrick, Scotland in 1770 and was baptized there on 9 December, his actual date of birth having never been recorded...
, Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texas Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army...
, Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
, Steven F. Austin, and Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
.
Victory Bells
The victory bells consists of two bells, one large and one small, and are housed in the east bell tower. The bells were given to Texas Tech as a class gift in 1936 and were first rang at the class of 1936's graduation. It is said that the victory bells rang throughout the night after a win against TCU in 1937, keeping Lubbock residents up all night. Thereafter, the bell ringing was limited to 30 minutes. Currently the Saddle Tramps and High Riders ring the bells after every victory and on special occasions.Baird Memorial Carillon
In 1973, Ruth Baird Larabee donated money to the university to buy and install a carillon in the west bell tower, in memory of her parents Charles and Ruth Baird. Originally consisting of 36 bells, the carillon was refurbished and extended in 2005 bringing the total range of the instrument to 3 octaves. Twelve of the original bells were cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in England, the remaining twenty-four original bells were cast in France by the Paccard FoundryFonderie Paccard
Fonderie Paccard is a French foundry founded in 1796, which has cast more than 120,000 bells located throughout the world. The foundry has been continuously operated for seven generations by the Paccard family. The largest bell cast by Paccard is the World Peace Bell....
and the newest bells were cast by the Meek & Watson Foundry in Ohio. The estimated value of the collection is $250,000.
The carillon has been featured in the Carol of Lights every year since its inception, in 1959. Additionally the carillon is played at 1:00 p.m. on July 4
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
in conjunction with the ceremonial ringing of the Liberty Bell
Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. The carillon also features Sunday evening concerts each summer.
Double T Bench
The Double T Bench, a bench in the shape of the Double TDouble T
The Double T is a logo that is the most readily identified symbol of Texas Tech University.-History:The Double T is generally attributed to Texas Tech University's, then Texas Technical College, first football coach, E. Y. Freeland, and assistant coach, Grady Higginbotham. The Double T's design...
, is located in the courtyard of the Admin Building. The bench was a gift to the university by the class of 1931. It is was announced tradition that no freshman were allowed to sit on the bench, a tradition that had faded by the 1950s.