Old Main Deemed Historic

Have you ever walked by Old Main and thought that it seemed historically significant? Well, it is. That's official.

Old Main was added to the National Register of Historic Places last month based on its significance to UCA and our contribution to education in Arkansas. Originally called Main Hall, it was built in 1919 and is the oldest building on campus.

Old Main was built to house the administrative offices of the university and four of UCA's nine presidents had an office there. It's use has changed over the years. Currently, it houses classrooms, an advising center, offices and University College.

The Ida Waldran Auditorium in the building has been used for speeches by governors, a "war assembly" at the beginning of World War II and was the site of the funeral for former UCA football coach Dan Estes.

The designation qualifies the university for federal money that can be used to preserve and restore the building.

Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication, nominated the building for the list.

"UCA is lucky to have its showpiece in the middle of the campus," Seymour said. "Many campuses grow away from their old buildings and they end up on the edge of their campuses."

Jimmy Bryant, the university archivist and historian, said he agreed with the decision to recognize the significance of Old Main.

"It is literally the heart of the campus," Bryant said. "If there is any building in the city of Conway that is worthy of being placed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is Old Main."

Seymour says that she will nominate an historic district at UCA next. The district will include Old Main and other buildings such as Wingo Hall, which has undergone too many external renovations to be placed on the register by itself.

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