If you've been on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas, then you've probably (at least) been near Main Hall. It is located on Alumni Circle between Harrin Hall and the Torreyson Library. The photograph above is of UCA's Main Hall in 1940.
The building was finished in 1919. It was designed by George Washington Donaghey - a carpenter and architect who served as Governor of Arkansas from 1909 to 1913 - and was his last building project in Conway. Donaghey had moved to Conway in 1883 and worked on the design of the Bank of Conway, the Faulkner County Courthouse, and buildings at Hendrix and CBC over the years. The completition of the state capitol building in Little Rock was another major accomplishment of Donaghey's.
The building was originally called the Administration Building. The library was housed in the basement until a separate building for the library (now Harrin Hall...Torreyson Library was built in 1963) was established in 1930. Annually, senior classes would plant ivy in front of the administration building as part of the graduation tradition.
In 1937, the Ida Waldran Auditorium was added. In 1944, the funeral for Coach Estes was held in the auditorium. In 1963, the building was renamed Main Hall and the usage switched to offices and classrooms.
In the 1997-1999 biennium, UCA requested $1.3 million for upgrades to Main Hall that was housing the math and history departments at the time. Rather than upgrade Main, upgrades at Harrin Hall took precedence. In 1999, UCA requested $5 million, but upgrades were still apparently placed on hold.
Today, the academic success center can be found tutoring UCA students down in the basement of Main Hall. "The Oxford American" magazine is also published out of Main Hall. Students may also swing through during x-period and find Film Appreciation students...appreciating film.
Main Hall is a striking landmark on the campus of UCA and remains an integral part of the UCA experience.
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