Historical Building
Denton, Denton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built in 1912-13 to serve as a library and gymnasium, this is the oldest remaining building on the North Texas campus. It became known as the Historical Building in 1925, when history professor Joseph Lyman Kingsbury (1880-1949) began a museum that was housed here until 1986. The institution's eclectic collection included published works and artifacts from around the world. Upon the museum's closing the collection was distributed to other institutions in Denton. The building also has housed academic offices, classrooms, and the College Radio Station. (1994)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1912–13 as a combined library and gymnasium, this is the oldest surviving building on the University of North Texas campus. In 1925 a history professor founded a museum here, and for six decades the building housed an eclectic collection of books and artifacts gathered from around the world. After the museum closed, the structure carried on as offices, classrooms, and even a college radio station.
Why it matters
The building traces the growth of a Texas teachers' college into a major university and reflects the early-twentieth-century faith in museums and libraries as engines of public learning.
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Related people
- · Joseph Lyman Kingsbury
Themes & tags
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