Main Building of The University of Texas at Austin
Encyclopedia
The Main Building is a structure at the center of the University of Texas
campus in Austin, Texas
, United States
. The Main Building's 307-foot (94 m) tower has 27 floors (32, if the carillon room above the clock mechanism is counted), and is one of the most recognizable symbols of the University, as well as the city..
The old Victorian
-Gothic
Main Building served as the central point of the campus' forty-acre
site, and was used for nearly all purposes beginning in 1882. However, by the 1930s, discussions arose about the need for new library space, and the Main Building was razed in 1934 over the objections of many students and faculty. All that remains of the Old Main Building are its old carillon
bells (called the "Burleson Bells"), which are now exhibited as part of a permanent display outside the university's Bass Concert Hall. The modern-day tower and Main Building were constructed in its place.
, similar to bank teller
s. The books were sent down to the students using an 18-story dumbwaiter. This proved ineffective, and the dumbwaiter was removed to place network and other computer cabling in the same shaft. The building now mainly contains administrative offices, though it does still house a three-floor life sciences
library and the Miriam Lutcher Stark Library of early and significant editions of English
Romanticist
works. A small three-story elevator is now used to move books between floors. Another small elevator in the center shaft provides access to the lower 18 floors in the tower building. Several professors' offices and department offices are located near the top of the tower. In the floors above the stacks and below the offices, several floors contain the university herbarium (Plant Resources Center). U.S. Census data analysis is compiled and analyzed on some of these floors. Lastly, two secure elevators provides access to the entire 27 floors of the tower, including the professors' and departmental offices, the observation deck, and access to the carillon room.
The 307-foot (94 m) tower was designed by Paul Philippe Cret
. Completed in 1937, the Main Building is located in the middle of campus. At the top of the tower is a carillon of 56 bells, the largest in Texas. Songs are played on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays by resident carilloneurs Tom Anderson and Chris Humphrey, in addition to the usual pealing of Westminster Quarters every quarter hour between 6 am and 9 pm. Student carillonneurs also perform on the instrument regularly.
During World War II
, an air raid siren
built by the chief communications engineer for the University, Jack Maguire, was placed on top of the tower to notify Austin residents of incoming air attack. As there was never an air attack on the city, this siren was only tested and never truly used. The decommissioned siren was superseded by 4 electronic warning sirens that were installed in early 2007.
major at the University, barricaded himself in the observation deck of the tower of the Main Building with a scoped Remington 700
deer rifle and various other weapons. In a 96-minute stand-off, Whitman killed 14 Austin residents and wounded many more.
jumps. On November 11, 1998, the Board of Regents of the UT system approved the recommendation of Student Association leaders and of then-president Larry Faulkner
to reopen the tower observation deck to visitors. After the installation of security and safety measures, the observation deck reopened to the public in 1999.
Additionally, the observation deck was closed in 2002 and 2003, due to the attacks of September 11, 2001, and was reopened in 2004 with added security.
in white light in the evening, but is lit in various color schemes for special occasions, including athletic victories and academic accomplishments, such as commencement, preferably white and orange. To mark more somber events, such as the passing of a former president of the university, the tower remains darkened with an eerie grey glow through the night.
Carl J. Eckhardt Jr., head of the Physical Plant in 1931, supervised the construction of the Main Building Tower. Eckhardt devised a lighting system to take advantage of its commanding architecture to announce university achievements. Beginning in 1937, orange lights were used to symbolize important events at the University; by 1947, standard guidelines for using the orange lights were created, and these have been updated since. Today there are many different options for lighting, including a darkened tower to signify solemn occasions. An orange tower with office windows lit to form the numeral "1" is used for national championships in NCAA sporting events.
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
campus in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Main Building's 307-foot (94 m) tower has 27 floors (32, if the carillon room above the clock mechanism is counted), and is one of the most recognizable symbols of the University, as well as the city..
1882–1934
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
-Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Main Building served as the central point of the campus' forty-acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
site, and was used for nearly all purposes beginning in 1882. However, by the 1930s, discussions arose about the need for new library space, and the Main Building was razed in 1934 over the objections of many students and faculty. All that remains of the Old Main Building are its old carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
bells (called the "Burleson Bells"), which are now exhibited as part of a permanent display outside the university's Bass Concert Hall. The modern-day tower and Main Building were constructed in its place.
1935–present
Originally, the University planned to use the tower as a library space, using a dumbwaiter system to carry books from the upper floors to the students requesting them on the second floor. Library employees were stationed every other floor and students on the ground floor filled out paper book request slips, which were sent upstairs by pneumatic tubePneumatic tube
Pneumatic tubes are systems in which cylindrical containers are propelled through a network of tubes by compressed air or by partial vacuum...
, similar to bank teller
Bank teller
A teller is an employee of a bank who deals directly with most customers. In some places, this employee is known as a cashier. Most teller jobs require cash handling experience and a high school diploma. Most banks provide on the job training....
s. The books were sent down to the students using an 18-story dumbwaiter. This proved ineffective, and the dumbwaiter was removed to place network and other computer cabling in the same shaft. The building now mainly contains administrative offices, though it does still house a three-floor life sciences
Life sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
library and the Miriam Lutcher Stark Library of early and significant editions of English
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
Romanticist
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
works. A small three-story elevator is now used to move books between floors. Another small elevator in the center shaft provides access to the lower 18 floors in the tower building. Several professors' offices and department offices are located near the top of the tower. In the floors above the stacks and below the offices, several floors contain the university herbarium (Plant Resources Center). U.S. Census data analysis is compiled and analyzed on some of these floors. Lastly, two secure elevators provides access to the entire 27 floors of the tower, including the professors' and departmental offices, the observation deck, and access to the carillon room.
The 307-foot (94 m) tower was designed by Paul Philippe Cret
Paul Philippe Cret
Paul Philippe Cret was a French-American architect and industrial designer. For more than thirty years, he headed the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.- Biography :...
. Completed in 1937, the Main Building is located in the middle of campus. At the top of the tower is a carillon of 56 bells, the largest in Texas. Songs are played on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays by resident carilloneurs Tom Anderson and Chris Humphrey, in addition to the usual pealing of Westminster Quarters every quarter hour between 6 am and 9 pm. Student carillonneurs also perform on the instrument regularly.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, an air raid siren
Civil defense siren
A civil defense siren is a mechanical or electronic device for generating sound to...
built by the chief communications engineer for the University, Jack Maguire, was placed on top of the tower to notify Austin residents of incoming air attack. As there was never an air attack on the city, this siren was only tested and never truly used. The decommissioned siren was superseded by 4 electronic warning sirens that were installed in early 2007.
Shooting
On August 1, 1966, Charles Joseph Whitman, an architectural engineeringArchitectural engineering
Architectural engineering, also known as building engineering, is the application of engineering principles and technology to building design and construction...
major at the University, barricaded himself in the observation deck of the tower of the Main Building with a scoped Remington 700
Remington 700
The Model 700 series of firearms are bolt-action rifles manufactured by Remington Arms since 1962. All are based on the same centerfire bolt action. They often come with a 3, 4 or 5-round internal magazine depending on caliber, some of which have a floor-plate for quick-unloading, and some of which...
deer rifle and various other weapons. In a 96-minute stand-off, Whitman killed 14 Austin residents and wounded many more.
Suicide site
Following the Whitman incident, the observation deck was closed until 1968 and closed again in 1974 following a series of suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
jumps. On November 11, 1998, the Board of Regents of the UT system approved the recommendation of Student Association leaders and of then-president Larry Faulkner
Larry Faulkner
Larry Ray Faulkner was the twenty-seventh president of The University of Texas at Austin. Faulkner is, as of January 31, 2006, President of the Houston Endowment Inc.....
to reopen the tower observation deck to visitors. After the installation of security and safety measures, the observation deck reopened to the public in 1999.
Additionally, the observation deck was closed in 2002 and 2003, due to the attacks of September 11, 2001, and was reopened in 2004 with added security.
Lighting
The tower usually appears illuminatedLighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
in white light in the evening, but is lit in various color schemes for special occasions, including athletic victories and academic accomplishments, such as commencement, preferably white and orange. To mark more somber events, such as the passing of a former president of the university, the tower remains darkened with an eerie grey glow through the night.
Carl J. Eckhardt Jr., head of the Physical Plant in 1931, supervised the construction of the Main Building Tower. Eckhardt devised a lighting system to take advantage of its commanding architecture to announce university achievements. Beginning in 1937, orange lights were used to symbolize important events at the University; by 1947, standard guidelines for using the orange lights were created, and these have been updated since. Today there are many different options for lighting, including a darkened tower to signify solemn occasions. An orange tower with office windows lit to form the numeral "1" is used for national championships in NCAA sporting events.
External links
- University's collection of news articles concerning the Main Building
- Lighting the Tower, an account of Carl J. Eckhardt Jr.'s work
- Littlefield Fountain, including placement with the Old Main Building
- Photos of Old Main
- Early 20th Century illustrations of University of Texas buildings.