97 Profile of a Place: “Old Main Building – TWU”
Delphine Jose Kennedy
Dr. Rachel Daugherty
English 1013.01
15 December 2021
Old Main Building – TWU
Image 1. TWU’s Old Main Building on a sunny day.
The Old Main Building at Texas Woman’s University (TWU), originally called The Girls Industrial College, was the first building constructed on the campus. It was built in 1903, and for many years, it was the only building that was used for educational purposes (Smith). It was founded in order for women to access a variety of programs that were not offered before the building was built, so the Old Main Building played an important role in the availability of higher education for women in the North Texas area. As claimed by the Denton County Historical Markers, the first classes on campus began on September 23, 1903, including 186 students and 14 faculty members (“The First Building of Texas Woman’s University”). Although in the present there are other buildings meeting the educational programs and needs previously provided in the Old Main Building, it feels great to look back at how so many students have been successful learning within the walls of this very old building.
I have passed by the structure many times and admired its beautiful architecture, but I have never been inside the building since I do not have any classes over there. Many of the classes that are currently being taught in the building are related to the fashion designs major. When I entered the building, it felt so bright and I noticed a statue right away. When I approached the statue, I saw the title of the piece, “Winged Victory of Samothrace” which represents Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. The statue that was present in the Old Main Building is a reproduction of the original statue currently located in the Louvre in Paris, France. In 1928, the College of Industrial Arts class presented the statue in remembrance of Armistice Day (Sign). After years of being in display and eventually being vandalized, the statue was replaced and was purchased from the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Images 2 and 3 are photographs of the sign and statue located in TWU’s Old Main Building.
The statue named “Winged Victory” was originally built as an offering to thank the Gods in the year 190 BC. As stated by the Le Louvre, a few sailors had won a sea battle and the statue was created to “celebrate” the victory. A replica of the statue being in the old main building illustrates the accomplishment of women being able to learn and further their knowledge after going through many battles. It represents the equality in education present at TWU. As students and faculty members, everyone feels a sense of pride being at a university that was one of the starting points for equality in higher education (Moffett).
Upon entering the building, the next aspect I noticed was the Women’s Leadership Hall, which is located on the first floor and truly shows the significance of women earning their access to higher education