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.
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Old Main
Old Main has remained one of the most recognizable buildings on Baylor’s campus due to its unique spires, classic red brick, and its location in the heart of campus. Every Baylor alum since 1887 has walked past its towers and crossed the quad that it shadows. | Source: The Texas Collection and University Archives, Baylor University. Digital ID: tx-phoarch-pho_gen-bu-bls_002398.
An Old Building
Built in 1887, Old Main is the oldest building on Baylor’s campus. Hosting such a variety of activities, it lived up to its designation as “Main Building.” While it no longer serves the same range of use, it still hosts classes, offices, and some club meetings and events. | Source: The Texas Collection and University Archives, Baylor University. Digital ID: tx-phoarch-pho_gen-bu-bls_002395.
Old Main's Twin
Burleson Hall was built in 1888 as a women’s dormitory, and it mirrors almost exactly the architecture of Old Main with the same red brick and white hooded windows, matching towers crowning its four corners, and an almost-identical central tower. The two buildings initially towered alone amidst open fields and trees that would eventually form Burleson Quadrangle and many other campus buildings. | Source: The Texas Collection and University Archives, Baylor University. Digital ID: tx-phoarch-pho_gen-bu-bls_000784.
A Literary Society
Old Main held space for club meeting rooms as well as classrooms and offices. A literary society utilized this room as their meeting room and library. A handwritten note on the back of the photograph claims that this literary society had more books in its library than were in the university library. | Source: The Texas Collection and University Archives, Baylor University. Digital ID: tx-phoarch-pho_gen-bu-bls_002430.
President's Office
While the university president’s office has been housed in Pat Neff Hall for decades now, this prestigious office was initially located in “Main Building” along with just about everything else. The president at this time was Rufus C. Burleson, and a painting of Sam Houston, whom Burleson had baptized, can be seen on the right side of the office. | Source: The Texas Collection and University Archives, Baylor University. Digital ID: tx-phoarch-pho_gen-bu-bls_002376.
The Original Quad
Burleson Quadrangle is framed by Old Main, Burleson Hall, G. W. Carroll Science Hall, and F. L. Carroll Library. The latter two buildings were completed in 1903, and they have also been used for a wide variety of purposes. Carroll Science Hall once housed the science department, but today it is home to the English department. Carroll Library has accommodated a chapel, libraries, and classrooms, but now it houses primarily special collections and offices. | Source: The Texas Collection and University Archives, Baylor University. Digital ID: tx-phoarch-pho_gen-bu-aer_000008.
Commencement
Old Main has seen many important university events throughout its lifespan, including commencement in the university’s early days in Waco. This 1913 photograph depicts the entire student body on Burleson Quadrangle, with graduates in their robes at the front of the group. Baylor University has grown tremendously since that time; now only a very small fraction of the student body would fit on the quad. | Source: The Texas Collection and University Archives, Baylor University. Digital ID: tx-phoarch-pho_pano_073.
Snow-Covered
Snow is quite rare in Waco, Texas, but this snowfall in the early decades of the twentieth century made for a stunning view. A statue of Rufus C. Burleson stands in the foreground with snow spilling out of the hat in his hand. Burleson was president of Baylor University from 1851-1861 and 1886-1897. His statue was erected in 1905, but in 2022 it was moved from its prominent location to the courtyard behind Burleson Hall over concerns for his support of slavery and his prejudiced beliefs. | Source: The Texas Collection and University Archives, Baylor University. Digital ID: tx-phoarch-pho_gen-bu-bls_002384.
Towers Removed
The 1953 Waco tornado weakened the towers of Old Main and Burleson so much that fears about them falling prompted removal of the towers. The structures lost their most familiar features, and they remained towerless until their renovation in the 1970s. | Source: The Texas Collection and University Archives, Baylor University. Digital ID: tx-phoarch-pho_gen-bu-bls_002409.
Skyline Restored
Old Main and Burleson Hall were in dire need of repair and restoration by the 1960s, and it was almost decided to demolish them completely. Thankfully, the proposed library that was to be built in their stead was constructed in a different location and the classic buildings were restored, including their towers. | Source: The Texas Collection and University Archives, Baylor University. Digital ID: tx-phoarch-pho_gen-bu-bls_002487.
Picture Perfect
Old Main is now joined by Draper and Pat Neff Hall in a beautiful skyline that is accentuated at sunset. | Source: The Texas Collection and University Archives, Baylor University. Digital ID: tx-phoarch-pho_gen-bu-bls_002506.
Old Main Sets a Trend
This modern aerial photograph of Baylor campus demonstrates the vast impact that Old Main has had on the architectural style of the whole university. Red brick and white detailing or columns abound, along with slanted roofs and even a few decorative towers. | Source: Cefaratti-Bertin, Shelby. “Baylor DPS Hosts Annual Joint Active Threat Training Exercise with Multiple Law Enforcement Agencies.” Media and Public Relations | Baylor University, May 22, 2024. https://news.web.baylor.edu/news/story/2024/baylor-dps-hosts-annual-joint-active-threat-training-exercise-multiple-law.
Radio Station
Robert Polk was hired as an organist for Baylor University in 1944 specifically to play for Baylor’s radio station located in Old Main. Baylor was one of very few universities using radio as a means for education at the time, and they used it to broadcast chapel, to share worship music, and to promote Baylor. | Source: Polk, Robert F. Interviewed by Alicia Perry, January 2, 2004, in Dallas, TX. Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Waco, TX. Access full interview here.Tragic Tornado
Martha Leuschner lived right next to Baylor campus beginning in 1917. She watched many buildings going up or coming down, and the Waco tornado went through her backyard. She was sad when the towers of Old Main and Burleson Hall were removed following the tornado but overjoyed when they eventually replaced the towers, keeping them true to the original design. | Source: Leuschner, Martha Louise. Interviewed by Suzanne Durham, August 5, 1976, in Waco, TX. Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Waco, TX. Access full interview here.Worn-Out Building
Helen Lake was a professor in the business school at Baylor in 1955. At the time, Old Main housed the business school and she was unimpressed with the old and cramped building. Old Main did not receive the updating that it so desperately needed until the 1970s. | Source: Lake, Helen. Interviewed by Maxine Hart, July 16, 1997, in Waco, TX. Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Waco, TX. Access full interview here.