Tag Archives: University of Arizona

Old Main Renovation 2014

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Note: this page is still under construction. Please check back again later to see the complete post. Thanks.

During her tenure as President of the University of Arizona (2012-2017), Ann Weaver Hart decided it was time to renovate Old Main, the University’s oldest and best-known campus building. It was previously renovated in the 1940s and in 1972 was selected for listing on the National Register of Historic places. The latest project, begun in early 2013, was expensive, totaling over 13 million dollars, and not a very popular undertaking (with some donors and administrators), but in the end, the transformation of the second floor of Old Main was a sight to behold. The newly renovated building, replete with new air conditioning units on both floors, now houses, among other things, student services, spacious meeting rooms, and the president’s office, and showcases some of the University’s finest artwork and cultural artifacts. The architectural firm, Poster, Frost, Mirto took the lead in designing the recent project. Sundt Construction completed the work.

In 2013, the director of Special Collections assigned me and another colleague the task of assisting the coordinator of the Old Main interior design project in identifying historic photographs and other materials for display in Old Main. My colleague took the lead in identifying and providing photographs and I worked on identifying materials for a small exhibit case and wrote annotations for many of the photos.

Historic photographs of the campus and photographs of covers of UA Yearbooks now fill the hallways and meeting rooms of the 2nd floor the Old Main building.

I chose materials for the exhibit case below. An inventory follows.

This is the exhibit case that I filled with memorabilia and documents from Special Collections. Below is the inventory of material included.

Most of the following photographs are from Special Collections. My colleague and the interior designer assigned to the renovation project worked with a professional photographer to restore and frame the historic photos included here.

Old Main at the beginning…
The original floor plan, courtesy of Special Collections.
Old Main now.
Corky Poster, one of the architects involved in the renovation project.
Photos from Special Collections above the exhibit case that I contributed material to.
Rodney Mackey, a staff member of the UA’s Planning Design and Construction department, gave a tour to the UA staff who contributed artwork and artifacts to the project.
The Arizona State Museum contributed some beautiful American Indian pottery to the project.
Minerals from the UA minerals collection.
From Special Collections, a photo of an early 20th century celebration at the Old Main fountain.
This sign, belonging to the original contractor, was found in the attic during the renovation.
The walls are also filled with photos from the Center for Creative Photography.
Meeting rooms on the 2nd floor.

Another shot of Old Main, courtesy of Special Collections.
One of the larger meeting rooms on the 2nd floor.
Another large meeting room.
The reception area leading to the President’s office.
Students at work in a science classroom, early 1900’s.
UA co-eds outside one of the women’s dorms.
Yearbook covers lined the walls of the various meeting rooms on the renovated second floor.

The architects held an open house for contributors to the project in advance of the grand opening. Below are some of the photos of the renovation.

From a presentation given by the architect, Corky Poster.
More photos of the work.
Photo courtesy of Sundt Construction.

Click here see a complete, annotated list of the photos contributed to both the Old Main project and the Phoenix Health Sciences building project.

A thank you letter from President Hart

Further reading:

Saving Old Main, The UA’s Oldest Building, by La Monica Everett Haynes, University Communication, October 1, 2013.

Old Main Renovation almost finished at University of Arizona, by Anne Ryman. The Arizona Republic, May 5, 2014

Old Main Re-opens Its Doors, University Relations-Communications, August 27, 2014.

University of Arizona Old Main Renovation. Sundt Construction.

That’s all, folks!

UA Alumni Association 50 year reunion exhibition

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Note: this page is still under construction. Please check back again later to see the complete post. Thanks.

2015 UA Alumni Association 50 Year reunion

In early 2015, I was asked to work with representatives of the UA Alumni Association to create a small exhibit of materials from the UA Class of 1965. The exhibit cubes shown below are housed on the 1st floor of Old Main. The exhibit remained in place for several years.

I did a lot of research for this particular exhibit, and could not possibly fit everthing I wanted to into three cases. I still have all the material I gathered and will be adding more to this blog post, as there is no limit here. I can add as much stuff as I want, so I will! What I have gathered together so far does not provide much context for what happened in 1965, so I’ll be working to add more factual information and additional photos etc. Stay tuned. It may take me a while, but I’ll get there soon enough!

Stay tuned. More to come…

Celebrating Excellence: A.E. Douglass and Tree Ring Research / Exhibition (2015)

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This exhibit in the Science-Engineering Library will offer a broad overview of the career of A.E. Douglass and basic information about the Laboratory for Tree Ring Research.

A.E. Douglass was an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona who headed the Stewart Observatory and established the science of dendrochronology, or the study of tree rings, which can be used to determine how old various archeological sites are. He also founded The Laboratory for Tree Ring Research in 1937. The exhibit will feature materials from the A.E. Douglass papers (Special Collections AZ 72), including photos, documents  and artifacts from Douglass’s  early youth through his later years. It will also feature material on loan form the Laboratory for Tree Ring Research, including a wooden beam from an archaeological site known as Chetro Ketl that is nearly 1,000 years old. 

A.E. Douglass was born in Windsor, Vermont on July 5, 1867, the fifth child of the Reverend Malcolm Douglass and Sarah Hale Douglass. He grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and attended Punchard Free (High) School.  His love for astronomy started at an early age.  By his senior year,  he was teaching the subject to other students. While in college, he excelled in the sciences. He graduated  from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut in 1889 with honors in astronomy, mathematics and physics.

After graduation, Douglass found work as a research assistant with William H. Pickering at the Harvard College Astronomy. He spent a year there before he was sent to South America to help build an observatory in Arequipa, Peru. He traveled to various other locales in South America and soon met Purcivell Lowell, an amateur astronomer with whom he began to work and who like Douglass, had a strong interest in the study of the planet Mars.

In the ensuring years, Douglass found  himself working for Lowell in Mexico, and then in Flagstaff Arizona where he supervised the building of the Lowell Observatory. He had a falling out with Lowell, and for a few years was a probate judge for the town of Flagstaff. By 1906, however, after having spent 12 years in Flagstaff, he secured a position at the University of Arizona. He taught physics and geography, among other topics.

Douglass entered the University of Arizona as Assistant Professor of Physics and Geography. Upon his arrival  he, with the help of his Harvard friends the Pickerings, made sure that the University of Arizona had a telescope. It was a borrowed,  8 inch, refracting telescope, but it was better than what was there  before.  The telescope stayed at the University of Arizona for many years atop the original Science Building just north of Old Main, but was eventually returned to Harvard.

It didn’t take  Douglass long to start lobbying  the powers that be for an observatory. He argued that the Tucson skies were perfect for star gazing. His wish was finally granted when in 1916, Mrs. Lavinia Steward,  a wealthy donor, gave the University $60,000 for a new observatory.  It  took nearly 6 years to complete, but Douglass happily witnessed a dream come true.  The Steward Observatory was officially dedicated on April 23, 1923.

Douglass served the UA in other capacities over the years. He was head of the Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Interim President, and Dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Materials in this exhibit were borrowed from  the following sources: