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This is a historical page
and is no longer maintained. Read our
Web history statement for more information.
Web Historical Disclaimer:
This is a historical page
and is no longer maintained. Read our
Web history statement for more information.
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Old Main in 1933 |
The
Destruction of Old Main and Construction of New Main Only thirty-five years after the completion of the original Main Building (known by many as "The Parthenon of The University's Acropolis"), discussion about the need for a new library began... |
| In 1930, Dr. William James Battle, a Classics professor and chairman of the Faculty Building Committee, suggested Paul Philippe Cret as The University's consulting architect for this project. Born in Lyon, France, Cret studied in Paris at the most prestigious school of architecture in the world at that time, the Academy Des Beaux Arts, Paris. Cret disliked the outdated Victorian-Gothic architectural style of Old Main which he planned to replace with a towering new Library Building. The end result was a compromise between Battle, Cret, and the Board of Regents. In the end, they felt the Spanish-Colonial Revival style best represented the history of Texas. Battle's classical influence, however, is also evident throughout the building in the form of classical details, inscriptions, and sculpture. |
Paul Philippe Cret |
Destruction of Old Main |
In 1932 the plans were announced to
raze the old building in order to construct the new
administration-library building amidst the protest of
many. One instructor, Meredith Neill Posey, voiced his
objections to the razing of Old Main in his poem, "On the Destruction of the
Main Building." The destruction of the Main Building was completed in 1934. The loss of the Old Main Building was far-reaching.
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 Battle, Cret, &
White at Construction Site |
New Main Construction
The new building was constructed in three stages. The Tower was built behind the existing Main Building. The Old Main Building was then demolished and replaced by the central facade. The planned third stage, additional book stack space, never occurred. After the Tower was completed, the Regents decided to alter the southern portion of the new library to accommodate administrative offices and classrooms. |
Current-day Main Building and Tower |
The Board of Regents considered other names for the new building but in 1939 they decided to keep the name Main Building. The new building was affectionately dubbed the “UT Skyscraper” by many, however, because it rose above all the other buildings in the Austin skyline. |
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