Sam Houston State University's Old Main Building
The average age of a building in the United States of America is 49.83 years old. In a world where there are man-made structures that predate Jesus Christ, the United States significantly lacks in the generational inheritance of historical buildings. That is why the buildings that we do possess must be maintained and cherished so that they may be passed down to future generations. These ancient structures are the legacy of past generations and are what connects us to our historical and cultural heritage. The loss of these irreplaceable buildings can be catastrophic. Often times the value of these old buildings is not known or fully understood until they are lost. Sam Houston State University’s Old Main Building is one such building.
The cornerstone for the Main Building of Sam Houston Normal Institute, the original name of the university, was laid in the fall of 1889. It was to be the legacy of Huntsville and the state of Texas. It was built in the old Gothic style, complete with original stain glass windows, hard-wood floors, replicas of ancient Greek and Roman statues and detailed stone carvings created by master artisans. It was considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Texas. The stain glass windows would later be a defining characteristic of the building and often the first quality that came to the mind of alumni who remember it. Later, due to expanding construction and an expanding university, only a handful of departments would be housed in the Old Main building. Most notably, theatre, the SHSU Band and the Department of Geology would be located in Old Main. As the years wore on, the student body would be known to complain about the creaking floors and the musty interior. This iconic building of Sam Houston State University would soon be taken for granted. Little to no effort was placed in updating the building. Interviewed for this paper, Dr. Jim Tiller a professor of Geography at SHSU noted that, “there was some discussion of why it was not equipped with sprinklers”. This discussion would prove to be fatal because on the dawn of February 12, 1982, Old Main burned.
The fire that consumed Old Main began in the early morning of February 12, 1982, and raged for many hours. The fire was so hot that it completely destroyed the entire building, leaving nothing salvageable. Interviewed for this paper, Dr. Brian Cooper, a professor of Geology at SHSU noted that it was “so hot, in fact, that it took them a while to figure out that a metal disk they found used to be a vending machine”. The fire raged on and on and soon all that was left was the solid stone foundation. There was some consideration to rebuild the building; however, the cost of rebuilding such a masterwork would be in the tens of millions of dollars. This harkens back to the inherent value of historic buildings. Many buildings, such as Old Main, are structures that are no longer possible to construct. Instead of rebuilding, donations were used to erect a memorial and to restore the damaged Austin Hall, now the signature building of SHSU. Austin Hall was a small building behind Old Main that was damaged in the fire. The fire that destroyed Old Main is somewhat of a mystery. There are still speculations as to how it started. However, the building itself and the fact that it had grand well-oiled wood floors and was constantly sprayed with pesticide, contributed to the powerful blazes that consumed it. While Old Main was never truly appreciated in its time, its destruction would be catastrophic and be felt throughout the years. Dr. Jim Tiller had this to contribute, “for the students and alumni it was a significant loss as the building doubtless held a lot of memories for them. It was a landmark long associated with SHSU. I do remember for months, maybe even years, after the fact someone would mention that alumni still stopped by to remember”.
The loss of Old Main was one that echoed through the years. Not only did SHSU lose this historical legacy, but the city of Huntsville and the state of Texas lost a piece of its history and a connection to its cultural past. However, those most immediately affected by the fire were the students and faculty that used Old Main. The Department of Geology, in particular, was affected because it was housed in Old Main and many irreplaceable things were lost in the fire. Geological samples were lost, as was the personal research of professors. This proved to be devastating to the Geology department. Dr. Brain Cooper, a professor of Geology at SHSU, who started working 6 months after the fire, had this to contribute about the effect of the fire:
“I started working at SHSU about 6 months after the Old Main fire. The Geology Program was in Old Main and Dr. Dwight Brown and Dr. Greg Conrad had their offices in Old Main. I heard a lot about the fire from them. The cause is still unknown with speculations about electrical shorts and spontaneous combustion of rags with dry cleaning fluids on them (the band uniforms were stored in Old Main)….Dr. Brown and Dr. Conrad lost everything in their offices. After the fire, many conversations would go back to the Old Main fire. Dr. Brown and I would be talking, and I would mention a book, then he would say that he used to have that book before the fire. Very sad. All of Dr. Brown’s research materials burned. A historical geology lab manual that he was writing burned, as well as a “Geology of Texas” textbook he was working on. Keep in mind that this was before desktop or laptop computers. All this information was typewritten without any backups. The fire really wiped out Dr. Brown in particular. Dr. Conrad also lost many things, but fortunately, he had copies of most things at his house. This was especially devastating to the Geology Program because everything was lost. Maps, minerals, fossils, rocks, microscopes, and other equipment…all gone. Dr. Brown and Dr. Conrad requested to rake and sieve through the debris after it cooled off. They were denied access, and most of the debris was hauled off to a landfill.”
What remains of this famous and iconic building is simply the chard foundation that is now over grown with grass and vegetation. This building which was to be our and future generation’s historical inheritance was reduced to ruble and soot and now rests in an unmarked mass grave buried under trash and rotting garbage.
Since nothing can be done to restore Old Main, Sam Houston State University must look forward and build new spaces of historical and generational importance. However, it must also work hard to maintain the spaces it has inherited so that a loss, such as the loss of Old Main, is never again experienced. It is the duty of current and future generations to safeguard the gifts of our forbearers. While these structures may be seen as dated, cumbersome, and irrelevant, they are ultimaltey irreplaceable. The universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Salamanca are ancient institutions that have buildings that date back centuries, almost an entire millennium. These universities have maintained their ancient inheritances and have thus maintained a tangible connection to their past. That is what universities like SHSU should strive towards. While the loss of Old Main is formidable and is felt even today, we must look towards the future as we pass down what we have today to future generations; for it is what exists now which will be the legacy of tomorrow.
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