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Main
Building
"Our College Home" For
over 75 years after its construction, Main Building was the only building of consequence
on campus. Until the building of Fitzgerald Hall (a dormitory) in 1912, Main Building
contained all the functions of the campus: administrative offices, classrooms,
dorm rooms, kitchen, dining room, chapel, etc. Main Building was Greensboro College
for the longest period of time. Main
Building has not only served as the heart of the campus, but also as the soul
of the college. Over the past 150 plus years, Main Building has touched the lives
of more than 8,000 alumni. Main Building has also faced the tests of time: mischievous
young pupils, war, and fire. The
poem Our College
Home by Miss Letha Brock (Class of 1913) remains representative of the
depth of emotion and sentiment which so many alumni have for Greensboro College
and Main Building.
1st Main Building
| 1837 | Forty
acres of land was bought for the college. | | 1843 | The
cornerstone of Main Building was laid in September. | | 1845 | The
brick building was completed during the summer at a cost of $20,000. It was three
stories high and had 36 rooms. | | 1846 | On
April 15, the doors opened to young female students for the first time. |
| 1856 | The
West Wing was started in May of 1856 and completed in 1857. |
| 1859 | Construction
of an East Wing was begun in May. | | 1861 | Although
not yet fully completed, the East Wing was usable. The entire building had the
capacity to board 175 students. | | 1860s | The
women of Greensboro Female College contributed to the Civil War effort by collecting
blankets, making food and wrapping bandages for soldiers. |
| 1863 | Around
midnight on August 9, a fire broke out in the kitchen and Main Building burned
as the fire spread. | | 1863-64 | Plans
were made for the building's reconstruction, but the Civil War and its economic
repercussions prevented the immediate rebuilding of Main. Also, the Federal Army
procured a large amount of the building supplies, including lumber, which had
been bought. Dr. Turner M. Jones, the college's president from 1854-1890, managed
to keep the administration functional and intact over the next ten years. |
| 1869 | A
new charter for Greensboro Female College was secured. |
Reconstruction of
Main Building between 1870-1873.
2nd
Main Building
| 1870 | Reconstruction
of Main Building began. | | 1873 | On
August 27, almost 10 years to the day after the 1863 fire, second Main Building
was reopened. This new building was not reopened without some sadness, for on
March 10, Rev. William Barringer, who was supervising the construction, had fallen
thirty feet from a gangway and was killed. The new building had the capacity to
house 200 students and nine teachers in a total of 84 rooms. |
| 1886 | The
number of faculty was increased to 15. | | 1904 | At
approximately 2 a.m. on February 18, Main Building burned for the second time.
The cause of that fire remains unknown. | 
An unknown artist's
depiction of the 1904 fire. 
The reconstruction
of Main Building in 1904.
3rd
Main Building
| 1904 | The
rebuilding of Main began on July 9 and was completed by October 12 due to an outpouring
of support. A large storied rotunda was added to the front of Main. The rotunda
rested on a series of Doric columns, which created a circular porch on the bottom
level. The rotunda's porch quickly became a favorite place of many students. |
| 1917 | A
fountain, a gift from the Class of 1917, was added to the front of Main Building. |
| 1918 | Third
floor of Main Building was used as an infirmary during the influenza outbreak. |
| 1941 | On
September 9, Main Building caught fire for the third time when lightning struck
the cupola atop the rotunda at around 1:20 a.m. Henry B. McEntire, the head of
the Business Office, and Dr. Luther Gobbel, the college's
president from 1935-1952, tried to save some documents from the fire. Mr. McEntire
was killed instantly when a
section of the roof collapsed on him. | 
The rotunda was destroyed
during the 1941 fire.
4th
Main Building
(A relatively early picture.)
| 1942 |
Main
Building was once again rebuilt. Reconstruction was completed in time for the
fall semester. Over the
strenuous objections of many alumnae, the rotunda was replaced with a four-column
portico due to a lack of money. |
| 1990s | Skylights,
which can be seen in early pictures of the fourth Main Building, were removed
when the old slate roof was replaced. | | Present | Since
it was rebuilt in 1942, the configuration and structure of Main Building has remained
largely unchanged. Main Building continues to house administrative and business
offices, hosts a variety of special events, and is the location of the Brock Historical
Museum of Greensboro College. |
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