• Znine
• Campus Calendar
• My Mav
• UTA Radio
• UTA Home
• Student Email
• Libraries
• Wikipedia

• Local Forecast
• Movie Listings
• Traffic Info
• TV Listings

March 22, 2006

Facilities

Markers will indicate historical buildings on campus

The Physical Plant will install plaques near walkways to act as a UTA ‘walking tour.’

Story by: Alicia Kania

The Shorthorn staff

Though most students are familiar with the Central Library, few probably know that when it was built in 1960, it only had two stories.

This will soon become common knowledge.

According to Director Jeff Johnson, the Physical Plant will install historical markers on select buildings around campus in the next 30 to 45 days.

He said the markers will be small bronze plaques located next to the walkway in front of each building to create a “walking tour” for the campus.

While the University Center, College Hall, Brazos House and the old planetarium will be the first buildings to get plaques, Johnson hopes all of the buildings on campus will eventually have markers.

“There’s something unique about every building on campus,” he said.

He gave the example of the plaque for Ransom Hall that will indicate that it’s the oldest building on campus, built in 1919.

The markers will be brief and useful for official tours of the university, as well as allowing any viewers to gain background information on each building.

Johnson said the plant has been planning to install the markers for about three years and that they hope to get three to four in place per year until completion.

In addition to the small campus plaques, the City of Arlington will install a state historical marker for the Social Work Complex.

Martha Martin, member of the Arlington Historical Society, the Landmark Preservation Commission and the Arlington Preservation Foundation, said the Social Work Complex was formerly a high school, and the marker will be large, like the state historical markers already in front of Ransom and Preston halls.

Both halls are included in the Landmark Preservation Commission’s brochure tour, a pamphlet that contains descriptions of city locations exhibiting a state historical marker.

Martin said she is happy about the markers.

“I think it’s just great that they’re marking the buildings,” she said, referring to the Physical Plant. “I’ll be excited to hear about the other buildings.”

CORRECTION

The article should not have stated that Ransom and Preston halls have state historical markers.