Old Main, State College, Besucherguide & was in der Nähe unternehmen

Old Main is the main administration building of Penn State's University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania. Its columned front and wide green lawn make it the best-known image of the university and a natural first stop for anyone exploring the town. The building stands at the edge of campus, facing College Avenue and the downtown streets.

The story behind it

Penn State began in 1855 as the Farmers' High School, and the first Old Main was built on this site in the years that followed as the school's central building. For decades it held classrooms, offices and student life under one roof, and the name stuck as the campus grew around it.

The building you see today is a replacement. The original was taken down in the late 1920s and the current Old Main, designed by architect Charles Klauder, was completed around 1930. Inside, the lobby holds a fresco by the painter Henry Varnum Poor, created around 1940, which tells the story of land-grant education, the idea of public colleges that Penn State grew out of.

What to look for

• The tall columns across the front give the building a formal, civic look, and they frame the best photograph from the lawn.
• The sweep of the front lawn leads your eye down toward College Avenue, which shows how the campus meets the town.
• Inside the lobby, look at the Henry Varnum Poor fresco, which wraps its scenes of learning and work across the wall.
• Across College Avenue from the lawn, look for the Allen Street Gates, the traditional entrance between campus and downtown.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 30 minutes for the exterior and lawn, and a little longer if you step into the lobby to see the fresco.
• The lawn is open to walk across, but access to the interior can change, so check current opening hours and any campus restrictions.
• Morning light on the front is good for photographs, and the lawn is pleasant on a clear afternoon.
• Downtown State College, with its cafes and shops, is just across the street, so it is easy to combine Old Main with a meal or a longer walk.

See it on a quest

The Oz Escape in State College is an Oz-themed, self-guided walk that takes you to Old Main on foot as one stop of a longer route through the area. The app tells you about each place when you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so you look at the building rather than just pass it. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join.