Old Central, historically known as the College Building, is the oldest building on the

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

campus in

Stillwater, Oklahoma Stillwater is the tenth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and the county seat of Payne County, Oklahoma, Payne County. It is located in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. Route 177#Oklahoma, U.S. Route 177 and Oklahoma S ...

. Originally built in 1894, it was the first permanent building on the Oklahoma A&M campus. Old Central's bell clapper once served as a traveling trophy in the

Bedlam Series The Bedlam Series is the name given to the Oklahoma–Oklahoma State rivalry. It refers to the athletics rivalry between the Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State Cowboys, Cowboys and Cowgirls of the Bi ...

athletics rivalry between

and the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

. The new "Bedlam Bell" is a crystal trophy modeled after Old Central's bell and is awarded to the winner of each individual athletics contest in addition to the overall series winner for each year.

History

The construction contract for Old Central was awarded on June 20, 1893. Many students, wanting their own building as soon as possible, assisted the fifty-man construction crew. Students received ten cents per hour for menial jobs, such as carrying bricks and water to the masons. Dedication ceremonies were held on June 15, 1894. Classes began in the structure on September 15, with 144 students in attendance. The College Building, as it was originally known, was the only permanent campus building until 1900. The Chemistry Department, which had occupied the basement, moved into a new building west of "The College." Shifting red Permian clay soil and Old Central's native sandstone foundation proved to be an unfortunate combination. The shifting clay movement against the soft sandstone foundation caused serious structural cracks. In 1914 two large tie-rods were installed in an effort to stabilize the building. Condemnation of Old Central became official in 1925, but space on campus was badly needed; so the building continued to be used until early 1927 when falling plaster slightly injured a student. Major work in 1930 put the building back into use until 1969 when the last regular classes were held. Oklahoma State University leased Old Central to the

Oklahoma Historical Society The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is an agency of the government of Oklahoma dedicated to promotion and preservation of Oklahoma's history and its people by collecting, interpreting, and disseminating knowledge and artifacts of Oklahoma. ...

in July 1971; the building was also placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Exterior restoration which began in 1973, was completed in 1989 with the installation of a metal shingle roof to duplicate the original roofing. On October 10, 2007, a new construction project began that gave the 113-year-old building a $7 million restoration and renovation. Oklahoma state and university officials, including Oklahoma State University System CEO and Interim President Marlene Strathe and Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Director Bob Blackburn, were on hand to ring the Old Central bell to mark the start of construction. The project would give Old Central a new foundation and place students in the building once again. When the renovation was completed in July 2009, the building became the home of the OSU Honors College and continues to house the Oklahoma Museum of Higher Education. The renovation was funded by the Oklahoma State Regents of Higher Education capital lease program.

References

External links

Oklahoma Museum of Higher Education
{{NRHP in Payne County, Oklahoma Oklahoma State University School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma Buildings and structures in Stillwater, Oklahoma National Register of Historic Places in Payne County, Oklahoma Tourist attractions in Stillwater, Oklahoma