Old Main
El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Completed in 1917, this building was the first structure on the new campus of the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, now the University of Texas at El Paso. The Bhutanese style was suggested by Kathleen L. Worrell, wife of the school's first dean, who was inspired by a feature on Bhutan in the April 1914 issue of "National Geographic" magazine. Distinctive features include sloped walls, decorative brickwork and a wide overhanging roof. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1982
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Completed in 1917, Old Main was the first building on the new campus of the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, today the University of Texas at El Paso. Its striking Bhutanese architecture—sloped walls, decorative brickwork, and wide overhanging roofs—was inspired by a 1914 National Geographic feature on Bhutan, suggested by Kathleen Worrell, wife of the school's first dean. The style became the signature look of the entire university.
Why it matters
Old Main launched a mining-and-engineering college on the desert border and gave rise to one of the most unusual architectural identities of any American campus.
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Related people
- · Kathleen L. Worrell
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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