Old Main - Definition

Old Main, originally called "Main Building" and first built in 1863, was the first major building of the Pennsylvania State University. Built over a six year period with limestone quarried from the land directly in front of it, the structure was designed by Hugh McAllister and contained classrooms, laboratories, offices, a chapel, and residential space for 400 students. After being deemed structurally unsound in the 1920s, the building was razed in 1929 and rebuilt in 1930. The new building, occupying the same footprint as the previous structure and incorporating some of its limestone, was christened "Old Main". The building cost $837,000, most of which was paid for by state appropriations and an emergency building fund campaign. The bell in the tower was a gift from the 1904 graduating class, and the westminster chimes that now sound were the gift of the 1937 class. Between 1940 and 1949, Henry Varnum Poor utilized the fresco style to paint large murals (over 1300 ft&sup2) on the second floor of Old Main that depict Penn State's land grant history. Today, Old Main serves as the administrative center of Penn State, housing the offices of the president and other officials.

References

• Official Old Main history (http://www.psu.edu/oldmain/fab/dhome/oldmainhistory.htm)
• Old Main's Frescoes (http://www.psu.edu/ur/about/frescoes/frescoes.html)