The original building on the Texas Tech University campus now has a well-deserved historical label.
Tech and the Lubbock County Historical Commission officially designated the Administration Building – the first and oldest building on campus – with a Texas Historical Marker Celebration, making the structure a Registered Texas Historic Landmark, according to a Tech news release.
Constructed between 1924 and 1925 after Texas Technological College was founded in 1923, it becomes just the second structure on campus to become a Registered Texas Historic Landmark, joining the Dairy Barn (2015). The designation is the highest honor bestowed by the State of Texas for historically and architecturally significant buildings.
“For more than a century, generations
of Red Raiders have passed through these doors and gathered around this building for some of the most important moments and traditions in the life of our university,” said Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec. “The Administration Building has become a timeless and iconic symbol of Texas Tech, even as the university has grown and changed around it. This designation recognizes the important place it holds in our history.”
Three other buildings on the Texas Tech campus – the Human Sciences Cottage (2026), the Judging Pavilion (1982) and the McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center (2019), which was once the home of the Texas Tech president – have all received Texas Historical Markers.
As the first building on campus, the Administration Building housed all four original schools – Agriculture, Engineering, Home Economics and Liberal Arts – as well as administrative offices, classrooms and the campus library. Then-Texas Gov. Pat Morris Neff participated in the ceremony that laid the cornerstone for the building on Nov. 11, 1924.
“When you look at the Texas Tech Administration Building today, it’s easy to think of it simply as the university’s most recognizable and historic building,” said Sean Cunningham, a professor of history and associate dean for administrative affairs in the College of Arts & Sciences. “But its significance goes beyond its architecture. For more than a century, the Administration Building has been a physical witness to the development of Texas Tech and the growth of this beautiful campus.”
The façade of the building was modeled after the 1553 redesign of the Universidad De Alcalá De Henares in Spain by Spanish architect Rodrigo Gil De Ontañón. The school’s opening event and student convocation took place on the building’s south lawn just over 101 years ago, on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 1925.
In addition to housing colleges, offices and classrooms, the building hosted annual commencement ceremonies, recognition ceremonies, student convocations and musical performances.
The east and west wings of the building were added in the early 1950s, and since 1959, the annual Carol of Lights celebration has signaled the beginning of the holiday season, featuring extensive holiday lighting and carillon music from the building’s west tower. The east tower features the signature Victory Bells, which are rung after every Texas Tech athletic victory as well as other celebrations, such as ring ceremony. The traditional Double-T bench, donated in 1931, and the statue of former Gov. Preston Smith, highlight the building’s courtyard.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Iconic Texas Tech Administration Building gets state historical marker
