Old Main is a building on the campus of Augsburg College

Augsburg College

Augsburg College is a selective liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg was named for the Augsburg Confession, the document of Lutheran belief. The school was founded in 1869 in Marshall, Wisconsin as Augsburg Seminary and moved...

 in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

, in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood

Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis

The Cedar-Riverside, also referred to as the West Bank, is a neighborhood within Minneapolis, Minnesota. The boundaries of the neighborhood are the Mississippi River to the north and east, Interstate 94 to the south, and Hiawatha Avenue and Interstate 35W to the west...

. It was built in 1901 at a cost of $35,000, designed by the St. Paul

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...

 firm of Omeyer and Thori and built by Charles F. Haglin, who built other structures such as the Lumber Exchange Building

Lumber Exchange Building

The Lumber Exchange Building was the first skyscraper built in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, and dates to 1885. It was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by Franklin B. Long and Frederick Kees and was billed as one of the first fireproof buildings in the country...

 and the Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator

Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator

The Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator, built in 1899–1900, was the first circular concrete grain elevator in the United States, and possibly in the world. It is notable for proving the viability of concrete in grain elevator construction. Previous grain elevators, being...

. The building, originally known as "New Main", was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

in 1983.

The building is large and symmetrical, evoking a classical architectural style. When it opened, it contained a chapel, gymnasium, classrooms, library and museum. It became the center of campus activity and a point of pride for the college. It has not been altered significantly from its original design. It retains its architectural integrity, as well as its historical and educational significance. A number of renovations in 1980 aimed to improve energy efficiency while preserving architectural details from the past.