Old Main 2007
Old Main c. 1902
Old Main is the University of Arizona's oldest building and originally housed all functions of the University, from classrooms to sleeping rooms. Through the years it has been home to several departments, including Business and Public Administration, the Graduate College, Art, French, Mathematics, History, and Political Science, among others.
The building is Territorial in style with European adaptations such as the French mansard roof. The building reveals a conscious attempt to relate to conditions of the Sonoran Desert with its broad, elevated and encircling veranda, high roof forms, partially recessed ground floor and large windows.
The building has gone through many uses in its lifetime, and has come dangerously close to being demolished on more than one occasion. Fortunately, Old Main was preserved and in 1972 became the first campus building to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Old Main continues to be the predominant symbol and the focal element of the campus, sitting on axis with the Main Mall and at the terminus of the vistas from both the east and west gates. A recent renovation has reassigned use of the ground floor to the Office of Admissions, effectively making Old Main the first stop for new and prospective students.
Old Main Preservation Plan 2011
- Construction Year: 1887
- Architect: James Miller Creighton
- Style: Territorial Queen Anne
- Listed on the National Register: 1972