27 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. There is a poster of Minnie Fisher Cunningham present when you enter through the main entrance. She was one of the women who fought for women’s right to vote. She first worked as a pharmacist but realized that the men were getting paid twice as much as she was. Cunningham knew she had to fight for the rights of women (“Texas Originals”). It is so inspirational to see a poster of her as a reminder that we need to be doing our best to help ourselves as well as for the good of others surrounding us.
An interesting artifact that I found in the TWU Women’s Collection archive was a letter sent in 1991 from Marilyn Thomas, who graduated the nursing program in 1958, to Fran Whited describing her nursing photo in 1958, which illustrated the joy she felt in achieving her goals. The photo portrays how “out of over one hundred students who began in 1954 there were just those in the photograph who made it all the way” (Thomas). The letter is one of the few documents I was able to find from an earlier graduate.
Image 4. A letter from Marilyn Thomas (nursing graduate in 1958).
I feel proud to be a part of TWU especially after going into this first building on campus. As pioneers, it helps us to be more confident and to believe that someday we might be pioneers in the fields we decide to work in. I walked around the building, to ask how the students who utilize this building on a daily basis interact with this space and to see how they felt about studying here. One of the students whom I spoke with, who is majoring in fashion design, described them being here as feeling “empowered” (Tammy). Another student I interviewed said that “coming here makes me feel more proud” (Mirali). Being a part of this community and being able to learn at the first building at TWU provides a “strong” connection (Tammy) to our roots and the history of women earning rights for equality.
Another source that I found was a picture of nursing graduates in 1935 in front of the Old Main Building. It is fascinating to see how our current atmosphere differs greatly from the past just by looking at a photo. Every time I walk past the Old Main Building, I think to myself that it is truly amazing that so many students have been successful at this university and that there are many students who are going to be successful in the future as well.
Image 5. An archived photograph of nursing graduates in 1935.
Lastly, when I was scrolling through the TWU Library, I noticed a picture that was taken during the construction of the Old Main Building. It was captivating to visualize how the University began, and I think that it encompasses more value than what it might seem like from just a photo. It illustrates the idea of growth, seeing how far Texas Woman’s University has come. It feels so great to see how much our university has grown from just that image. It depicts that everything starts off small or incomplete but will one day become something special and successful.
Image 6. The Old Main Building under construction.
Along with the visually appealing architecture of the Old Main Building, the space has a deep connection to the history of women getting access to higher education. It also gives a sense of hope to the current students traveling through the building and learning more about the difficult access to college-level education women once had, and the building sends a message to future students that we can also complete university and lead into an amazing future.
Appendix A
Letter Transcription
- O. Drawer 390, Mineola, Texas 75773, May 14, 1991. Fran Whited, TWU College of Nursing, 1810 Inwood Road, Dallas, Texas 75235. Dear Fran, Enclosed is the negative of our 1958 class just prior to graduation. Out of over one hundred students who began in 1954 there were just those in the photograph who made it all the way. The occasion of the photograph was a dinner given in our honor in the Parkland cafeteria by Dean Pannell. We were one happy group of young women. Also is a check for $50.00 to go toward a print and framing, etc. Best wishes to you and the College of Nursing. Sincerely, Marilyn Wallen Thomas (58)
Works Cited
Kasie Moffett. “Old Main.” Clio: Your Guide to History. May 8, 2019. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://www.theclio.com/entry/77587
“Old Main Building TWU.” Old Main in the News, 2020, https://inside.twu.edu/DesktopModules/DigArticle/MediaHandler.ashx?portalid=0&moduleid=1074&remoteid=349&width=847&height=565. Accessed 2021.
“Old Main in the News.” Inside TWU, https://inside.twu.edu/archives/read/old-main-in-the-news.
Parkland School of Nursing. “Nursing Graduates Posing on the Steps of the Old Main Building in 1935.” TWU Women’s Collection, twudigital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16283coll32/id/0/rec/3.
“Texas Originals.” Minnie Fisher Cunningham | Humanities Texas, https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/minnie-fisher-cunningham.
“The First Building of Texas Woman’s University.” Denton County Historical Markers, https://apps.dentoncounty.gov/website/historicalmarkers/historical-markers.htm#First%20University%20Building.
“The First Building of Texas Woman’s University.” Denton County Office of History and Culture: Blog, 8 Mar. 2021, https://dentoncountyhistoryandculture.wordpress.com/2020/01/04/the-first-building-of-texas-womans-university/
“The Winged Victory.” Le Louvre, https://www.louvre.fr/en/explore/the-palace/a-stairway-to-victory.
Thomas, Marilyn. “UA 538.7d.” CONTENTdm, 1991, https://twudigital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16283coll32/id/239/rec/1.
University Archives Photographs. “Construction of the Old Main Building 1903.” TWU Women’s Collection, twudigital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p1281coll6/id/2207/rec/4.
Parkland School of Nursing. “Nursing Graduates Posing on the Steps of the Old Main Building in 1935.” TWU Women’s Collection, twudigital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16283coll32/id/0/rec/3.