Old East | |
 Old East | |
   | |
| Location | University of North Carolina campus,Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°54′45″N79°3′3″W / 35.91250°N 79.05083°W /35.91250; -79.05083 |
| Built | 1793 |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Part of | Chapel Hill Historic District (ID71000604) |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000596[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | December 21, 1965 |
| Designated CP | December 16, 1971 |
Old East is a residence hall located at the north part of campus inUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Built in 1793 by slave labor, it became the first state university building in theUnited States.[2] TheWren Building at theCollege of William & Mary inWilliamsburg, Virginia, was built in 1695, but William and Mary did not become a public university until 1906.[3]
ColonelJohn Hogan entered into a contract December 1792, to make 150,000 bricks at the site of where Old East would be built.[4] He also donated 200 acres towards the university grounds.[5] The cornerstone of Old East was laid ceremoniously on October 12, 1793, byWilliam Richardson Davie, who served as thegovernor of North Carolina from 1798 to 1799.[6] The building was originally two stories tall and contained sixteen rooms. The design reflects the university trustees' vision of a quadrangle that ran north toward the town of Chapel Hill. Although the cost of construction is unknown, there are records from 1799 indicating that the university spent a total of $12,180 for work on Steward's Hall, Old East, Person Hall, and the President's House. After its construction, Old East functioned as both a classroom building and a Residence Hall; today it is exclusively a Residence Hall.
The contractor in charge of the construction of Old East wasJames Patterson ofChatham County. By 1804, the building needed significant repairs and was renovated with new doors, window sashes, ladders, and the roof was repainted. The third story was added to the building in 1823.Alexander Jackson Davis was hired by the university in 1844 to lengthen the building by a third and to create a new north entrance. The new rooms were used by thePhilanthropic Society and also served as a library.Davis' other additions included large north-facing windows encased by brick panels and two brick porches on the east side of the building.Thomas Day, a skilled and respected African-American cabinetmaker, designed and built the interior woodwork in the society rooms. Old East remained the home of thePhilanthropic Society until New East was completed in 1860.[7]
In 1877,Zebulon Baird Vance, the Governor of North Carolina and chair of the Board of Trustees, declared the anniversary of Old East's construction, October 12, was University Day and should "be observed with appropriate ceremonies under the direction of the faculty."[8] Subsequent celebrations of University Day have included speeches by PresidentJohn F. Kennedy in 1961 and PresidentBill Clinton in 1993. Students are released from classes the morning of University Day and many migrate to the Old East Birthday Bash, which has in the past included things like cake, athletic signings, puppies, appearances by the chancellor, dance routines, anda capella performances. The building was designated aNational Historic Landmark by theNational Park Service December 21, 1965.[9]
TheOld Well and Old East, as the earliest buildings at UNC, have long been the symbols of the university. There are some collections of art about Old East and the Old Well inBlowing Rock Art and History Museum, North Carolina, as well as in UNC-Chapel Hill'sWilson Library. It is located in theChapel Hill Historic District.
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