Old Main

Duane's take

The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just the voice that carries it down the road. Now, there are buildings, and then there are buildings. Old Main, in Hays County up in San Marcos, falls into that second category.

The kind of structure that plants itself on a hill and simply refuses to be ignored. And it earned that right. The city of San Marcos gave the land, set aside for the construction of a state teachers' college, and by 1903 the building was complete, ready to serve as the administration building for Southwest Texas Normal School.

That's a serious piece of work for a serious purpose. But here's where it gets interesting, because whoever drew up the plans was not in a plain and practical mood. This is Victorian Gothic architecture, friend.

Full commitment. Four corners, four towers, each one capped with a pyramidal roof. Go on and picture that for a moment.

Four towers. Then add the steep gables cutting sharp angles against the Texas sky. Then the arched windows, the dormers looking out like watchful eyes, and the roof finials standing at attention up top like they're daring the weather to try something.

Old Main didn't just anchor the campus. It announced it. A teachers' college built on donated land, dressed in one of the most ambitious architectural styles the era had to offer.

San Marcos put something permanent on that hill in 1903, and it's still there. Some buildings just mean to stay.

What the marker says

Prominently sited on land given by the city of San Marcos for the construction of a state teachers' college, this structure was completed in 1903 to serve as the administration building for Southwest Texas Normal School. The Victorian Gothic structure features a pyramidally roofed tower at each of the four corners. Other prominent elements include the steep gables, arched windows, dormers, and roof finials. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1963