Old Main (Utah State University)

Last updated
Old Main
Old Main Utah St Univ.jpg
Old Main, May 2005
Location Utah State University
Logan, Utah
United States
Coordinates 41°44′27″N111°48′51″W / 41.74083°N 111.81417°W / 41.74083; -111.81417
Built1890
Architect Charles Lawton Thompson
Karl C. Schaub
Architectural styleCampus Gothic
NRHP reference No. 72001258
Added to NRHP1972

Old Main was the first building built on the campus of the Agricultural College of Utah, now Utah State University. It sits at the top of Old Main Hill, overlooking the city of Logan to the west, and facing the quad to the east. Old Main is the oldest functioning academic building in Utah. [1]

Contents

History

Old Main at night, November 2016 Utah State University Old Main at night.jpg
Old Main at night, November 2016

After rejecting a site on the Providence bench south of town, the Board of Trustees for the new college met in Logan on March 26, 1889 to discuss the placement of buildings on a hillside and plot of land donated by the Logan City Council. The Board approved the current site unanimously, and on April 15, selected the proposal of architect C. L. Thompson for a "College Building" to be constructed. Excavation began and the cornerstone was laid on July 27, 1889, and the south wing of the building was completed on February 22, 1890. [2]

The original building cost $20,305 and spanned 270 by 100 feet. [3] The plans were soon redrawn by Logan architect Karl Conrad Schaub, however, and the central wing was expanded substantially, whereas under Thompson's plans, it had served merely as a hallway between the north and south wings. [3] The entirety of the building was finished by 1902, with the front door originally facing west, overlooking the Cache Valley. At this time, the building contained the entirety of the college. Over the years, as campus has expanded, portions of the building have served many purposes, ranging from classrooms to administration to a makeshift hospital during the Spanish flu epidemic in 1919. In its history, the building has housed nearly every department on campus.

A single hand-rung bell was installed in Old Main tower in 1904, and additional bells were added in 1914 and 1915. Though the originals were replaced with an electronic carillon in 1978, the tower continues to chime at 15-minute intervals throughout each day. [4]

Old Main was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 1984 the building suffered a major fire, but was completely rehabilitated and restored over a period of about 15 years by Architectural Design West of Logan, Utah which was the company founded by Old Main's original architect Karl Schaub nearly 100 years earlier. [5]

Current usage

In addition to university administration and many central offices, Old Main currently houses the main offices for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and many of its departments, such as history, political science, foreign languages, philosophy, sociology, social work, and anthropology. It houses the USU Museum of Anthropology on its second floor.

"A" Light

The first block "A" light was USU's first senior gift, awarded by the graduating class of 1909. It measures 12 by 14 feet and originally contained 146 candlelight bulbs. [4] The original A was affixed to the west side of the tower, so as to be seen throughout the entire valley, and the remaining three A's were added to the tower in later years. The "A" can be seen for miles around, shining white on most nights, and blue on special nights such as Homecoming and Commencement, and when athletic teams have been victorious.

The A also serves as an alternative to the mountainside letters which represent many colleges and high schools throughout the state of Utah. Various student-led campaigns throughout the university's history have sought to construct a block "A" on one of many nearby mountains, most notably in 1947 and again in the 2000s. A compromise following the 1947 initiative led to the construction of a temporary A on the mountain south of Logan Canyon that was illuminated for special events during the 1950s and '60s, as the state's permanent fixtures were deemed "tacky". [4]

During the summer of 2010 the A was upgraded to use LED technology. Both the white and blue lights are now more brilliant.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logan, Utah</span> City in Utah, United States

Logan is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The 2020 census recorded the population was 52,778. Logan is the county seat of Cache County and the principal city of the Logan metropolitan area, which includes Cache County and Franklin County, Idaho. The Logan metropolitan area contained 147,908 people as of the 2020 census. Logan is the location of the main campus of Utah State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah State University</span> Public university in Logan, Utah, US

Utah State University is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal land-grant institution, Utah State serves as one of Utah's two flagship universities. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". The Logan campus is the state's largest public residential campus, with more than 84% of students living away from home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logan-Cache Airport</span> Airport in Utah, United States of America

Logan-Cache Airport is an airport in the western United States in Cache County, Utah, located three miles (5 km) northwest of Logan. It is owned under the Logan-Cache Airport Authority, formed by Inter-local Agreement between Cache County and Logan City in 1992. This organization is subsidized by the city and county, having no authority to tax or bond for additional funding. Revenues are derived from leases of land, buildings, fuel and maintenance fees. The airport was previously owned by Cache County and managed by county commissioners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigham Young College</span>

Brigham Young College was a college and high school in Logan, Utah. It was founded by Brigham Young on 6 August 1877, 23 days before his death. He deeded several acres of land to a board of trustees for the development of a college. This was just two years after he founded Brigham Young Academy in Provo in 1875, which became Brigham Young University in 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logan High School (Utah)</span> Public school

Logan High School is a four-year public high school in the western United States, located in Logan, Utah. Established 107 years ago in 1917 as part of the Logan City School District, its campus is in the southwest part of the city. Logan High is currently in the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) Class 4A Region XI and its mascot is a Grizzly.

Pine Glenn Cove is a private vacation retreat, also known by various other names, including Hatch's Camp,Forest Hills, and St. Anne's Retreat. The property is located in Logan Canyon, Utah. Pine Glenn Cove is the largest private retreat in Cache National Forest and Logan Canyon, and the only one with a swimming pool. It has a long, rich history. Started by a wealthy businessman in the early 1910s, it was later expanded by his descendants. It was most famously owned by the Catholic Church in the later half of the 20th century and used as a spiritual retreat for nuns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah State Aggies</span> Sports program of Utah State University

The Utah State Aggies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Utah State University, located in Logan, Utah. Utah State fields 16 – seven men and nine women – National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletic teams. They compete in the Mountain West Conference. On September 23, 2024, Utah State accepted an offer to leave the Mountain West and join the Pac-12 Conference on July 1, 2026.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Main (University of Wyoming)</span> United States historic place

Old Main, built 139 years ago in 1886 in Laramie, Wyoming, was the first building on the University of Wyoming campus and continues as its oldest. At an approximate elevation of 7,180 feet (2,190 m) above sea level, it currently houses university administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah State Aggies men's basketball</span> Mens college basketball team

The Utah State Aggies men’s basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Mountain West Conference, that represents Utah State University. Home games are played at the Smith Spectrum, located on the Utah State University campus in Logan. In the 17 years that former coach Stew Morrill was at the helm, Utah State had the 4th highest winning percentage in the nation at home, behind only Duke, Kansas, and Gonzaga. As of the end of the 2023–24 regular season, the Aggies have an all-time record of 1,714 wins and 1,156 losses.

The Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR) is a technology-based economic development agency funded by the state of Utah. The organization works to develop ideas and research into marketable products and successful companies through its competitive grant and entrepreneur support programs. USTAR facilitates the diversification of the state’s tech economy, increases private follow-on investment, and supports the creation of technology-based start-up firms, higher-paying jobs and additional business activity leading to a statewide expansion of Utah’s tax base.

The Utah State University Museum of Anthropology is a small museum located in the Old Main building on Utah State University's main campus in Logan, Utah, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah State University Eastern</span> Regional college in the Utah State University system in Price and Blanding, Utah

Utah State University Eastern is a public regional college within the Utah State University system. The USU Eastern campus is located in Price, Utah, United States. Founded as Carbon College in 1937, the college joined the University of Utah system in 1959 for 10 years and was renamed College of Eastern Utah (CEU). In 1969, the Utah System of Higher Education was created ending the relationship between the University of Utah and CEU. CEU entered the USU system on July 1, 2010 as Utah State University Eastern. With more than 60 degree programs, the college focuses on technical, vocational, and associate degree programs. USU Eastern competes as the Eagles and is the only statewide USU campus, apart from the Logan campus, that has an athletics program.

Utah State University Uintah Basin is a part of the Utah State University (USU) Statewide Campuses system located in Roosevelt, Utah, with an additional campus in Vernal. The Uintah Basin campus was the first USU regional campus. USU Uintah Basin offers more than 60 degrees, ranging from associates through doctorates, as well as certificate programs.

Walter Ellsworth Ware was an American architect who established a firm in 1891 in Salt Lake City, Utah and practiced until 1949, over a period of almost 60 years. He designed numerous buildings of diverse styles and functions that remain standing, many of which are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Eccles House</span> United States historic place

The David Eccles House, at 250 W. Center St. in Logan, Utah, was built in 1907. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Joseph Monson (1862–1932) was an architect based first in Logan, Utah and later in Salt Lake City, Utah. At least two of his works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

KUSU-TV, VHF analog channel 12, was a non-commercial educational television station licensed to Logan, Utah, United States, which broadcast from 1964 until 1970. The station was owned by Utah State University. It went dark in 1970 as part of a consolidation plan to unify Utah's fragmented educational television landscape and replaced with a translator of KUED-TV in Salt Lake City.

Frederick W. Hodgson, known as Fred W. Hodgson, was an American architect based in Logan, Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl C. Schaub</span> American architect

Karl C. Schaub was a Swiss-born American architect who designed many buildings in the state of Utah, including the NRHP-listed Hyrum First Ward Meetinghouse and Old Main in Logan. He was the co-partner of Schaub and Monson with Joseph Monson for eight years. He also served as a bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

References

  1. ↑ Locke, Delayne (February 24, 2010). "Light up the night with Aggie pride". The Utah Statesman.
  2. ↑ Ricks, Joel Edward (1938). The Utah State Agricultural College: A History of Fifty Years. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret News Press. pp. 22–25.
  3. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Inventory: Nomination Form, Old Main, Utah State University". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 Parson, Robert. "An Encyclopedic History of Utah State University". Archived from the original on 20 June 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  5. ↑ "Cache County".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.