South Building

Construction of what is now the University’s central administration building, South Building, took 16 years before its completion in 1814. University President Joseph Caldwell toured the state by buggy to seek funds for completing the building. Additions to the building’s original facade include a cupola in 1861, main doorway in 1897 and an Ionic portico on the south side in 1927.

From South Building’s second floor, Caldwell, an astronomical scientist, conducted the first systematic observations of “the heavens known in the United States” between 1827 and 1831.

Today, the administrative offices of the Chancellor, the Provost, the College of Arts and Sciences, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, and Business and Finance are located here.