Old Main

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Anyone who has attended or visited Baylor University would recognize the familiar spires of Old Main as markers of the historic heart of campus. Built in 1887, Old Main was the first building constructed by Baylor in Waco. Baylor had previously been located at Independence, Texas, but when it moved north and combined with Waco University in 1886, the university needed teaching space. Containing classrooms, offices, laboratories, a studio, a library, a chapel, and even housing Baylor’s radio station and tower, Old Main was originally just called “Main Building.” It served so many purposes that it truly was at the center of campus life. Burleson Hall was built adjacent to Old Main in 1888, mirroring its architectural design, and these two buildings along with F. L. Carroll Chapel and Library and G. W. Carroll Science Hall, both completed in 1903, framed Burleson Quadrangle, or “the quad” as it has been called through the years.

William W. Larmour was the architect of Old Main. Drawing from Gothic Revival and Italian Revival styles, both popular at the time, he chose to use red brick with white limestone highlights along the building’s windows and edges. Four smaller spires stand on the roof corners and one tall spire rises in the center. Its architectural style and classic red brick have influenced the design of many buildings on Baylor’s campus, even parking garages. Red brick with white pillars or edges characterizes what many people picture when they think of Baylor, thanks to Larmour’s architectural artistry.

The 1953 Waco Tornado caused serious damage to Old Main and Burleson, weakening the spires so much that they had to be removed. In the 1960s, the university almost decided to demolish Old Main and Burleson Hall to create a new library, but instead they decided to renovate and restore the historic buildings and build Moody Memorial Library. The iconic towers were rebuilt, restoring the university’s original skyline. A renewed Old Main reopened in 1976, ready for new generations of students to pass through its doors.

Old Main is no longer used for such a variety of activities; it now houses the department of Modern Languages & Cultures. Draper Academic Building, built in 1976, stands just behind Old Main and Burleson, forming a complex of three interconnected buildings. While Old Main’s classrooms are not nearly as modern or high-tech as those in some newer campus buildings, it still serves the Baylor student body faithfully, ushering students who study within its walls, perhaps unknowingly, into a long legacy of learning.