Week 11- Lauren Gillingham- Old Main U of A

  Old Main can be found on the University of Arkansas' main campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was originally known as University Hall, and is the oldest standing building on the campus.
  The building committee sought out the architect from Chicago who designed the main building for the University of Illinois, John Van Osdel. Van Osdel lost his original plans in the great Chicago fire, but he produced new drawings for the university. The difference between the original building at the University of Illinois and Old Main- the towers are flip-flopped. It is said that the Union-supporting builders switched the towers so that the taller bell tower would be on the north side, a symbol of the victory .            
   The building's design is known as Second Empire, and nearly all of the construction materials came from Arkansas, including the sandstone foundation, the bricks fired on the grounds, the limestone window used for the window sills, and wood milled the Ozark forests