These Walls: Oklahoma State University's Old Central
Friday, December 3, 2010
By Kirby Lee Davis
Kirby Lee Davis is the Tulsa Bureau Chief for The Journal Record. Contact him at
918-295-4982
Oklahoma State University’s Old Central demonstrates how a building can survive in spite of itself.
Intended as the first permanent structure for the 200-acre Oklahoma Agriculture and
Mechanical College, contractor Cashcade finished the eclectic 11,000-square-foot building
in June 1894 at a final cost of $25,000. Topeka, Kan., architect Herman M. Hadley
designed the brick, timber and sandstone College Building (as it was originally known)
to house not just classrooms, but also offices, a library, laboratories, assembly
rooms and anything else the 144 students required.
“It’s of its period, a late 19th-century mélange building really,” OSU School of
Architecture professor Nigel Jones said of the design. “The tower, if anything, looks
a bit German, probably, so it has something of a mix to it.”
As the campus grew, so did the emerging Central’s flexibility.
“Its functions changed over time,” said David Peters, coordinator of special collections
for OSU’s Edmon Low Library. “Oftentimes what happened as new buildings were built,
the administration and others would then gravitate to the newer facilities and so
this became kind of a secondary catchall for other activities. The print shop was
here for a while, the Daily Collegian had offices here for a while. The band used
the building and the music department.”
That made the Central building home to a wide number of graduates.
“But there were times it was threatened because it wasn’t a key building to the functioning
of the campus anymore,” said Jones. “And so when there were problems with it, when
it needed repair, then the argument was, why are we keeping it up?”
What became known as Old Central quickly earned a reputation for trouble.
“Essentially you’re talking about 10 years after it’s built, right at the turn of
the century, they started having significant foundation problems and the building
started moving,” said Mike Buchert, OSU’s director of long-range facilities planning.
“So they came in and put these metal things in which a lot of buildings in Europe
hold everything together. They did some work on the foundation, because really, the
foundation, all it is is sandstone on clay, which is a terrible thing to do, but that’s
the way it was done.”
A flowing malaise of structural woes emerged as President Henry Bennett started his
aggressive campus expansion in the 1920s.
“It was kind of threatened with condemnation then already,” said Peters. “It was
less than 40 years old.”
“They had more structural problems every few years and did minor repairs here and
there until finally in the ’70s they started thinking, we’ve either got to tear down
this building or we’ve got to do something major,” said Buchert. “So they said, we’re
going to put something major. They did the foundation and they did a lot of work on
the foundation, and they were going to do a little work on the outside and then a
tornado hit it in the middle of construction.”
Although the twister took down parts of the south face, OSU leaders continued the
renovation with alumni support, tackling not only the structural woes while recreating
the interior in an approximation of 1890s decor. But when the building started shifting
once more, university leaders decided its condition more suited an Oklahoma Historical
Society museum than classrooms.
Last year an extensive $8 million renovation allowed the OSU Honors College to return
Old Central to its academic roots.
“The most reassuring thing I was told when we were going to be moving over here was
from Arlene (Lanman, OSU’s former director of Architectural and Engineering Services),
who said, ‘Don’t worry, Bob, old building like that, if they’re going to fail, they
fail catastrophically,’” said Honor College Director Robert Spurrier. “That always
gave me a sense of assurance when I hear a creak or something I’m not expecting.”
What keeps the eclectic building alive? Some point to beloved alumni traditions,
such as the early class battles over banners flying atop the Old Central flagpole.
Others clung to love of history and antiquity. But one Old Central element in particular
– the bell tower – may provide the most sentimental answer.
“I think the association that people had with celebrations, with the ringing of the
bell, may have been part of the reason why the building was saved,” said Peters. “It
was such a place of happiness and celebration for things like that long after the
building was still being used, but we associated such wonderful memories in part because
the bell would ring to notify everyone. I think really it became a call as a gathering
place.”
“And why the building became a beloved building,” said Jones.
Exuberant ringing after a Bedlam victory once led some prideful University of Oklahoma
students to steal the Old Central bell clapper. In the spirit of college sports the
clapper became an annual Bedlam trophy until Cowboy fans decided to stop the exchange.
“I think there’s a real association there,” Peters said of Old Central’s bell. “It’s
the Facebook and cell phone of their age which brought people together.”
Many Cowboys hope to rekindle that link Saturday.
“If we do win on Thanksgiving weekend, I would definitely be here to ring the bell,”
said Buchert.
“When we win on Thanksgiving weekend, we will be here,” said Peters.