University of Texas - Cactus Yearbook

“.... ..... BflHMBBl^^HHH^^^^^HHHH^^^^^HH^^Hi A beginning and end Everything about the newly-restored Little Campus sug- gested a sense of permanence. From the outside, the buildings looked like something from a fairy tale, with spires of red, yellow and blue emerging from neatly-corniced square bases with lots of windows. Inside, varnished wood floors, brass chandeliers and antique furniture suggested that the two main structures had not aged in 100 years. But the bare offices of the main building gave the complex a sense of usefulness in modern times. The larger building - all office space and meeting rooms would house additional facilities for the admissions and personnel offices. The The renovation of the buildings of the Little Campus was supposed to be completed months before a Nov. 30 reception for former residents of the dor- mitories housed in the complex from 1926-1962. The delayed completion of the restoration, caused in part by an early contractor ' s bankruptcy, failed to hamper the spirit of the reunion. Color photos by Michael Sutler smaller building was arranged more like a home and would house the Arno Nowotny Visitors ' Center. The new center had, for three months in 1865, been the home of Gen. George Custer. It had also housed a school for the blind, a lunatic asylum and a school of military aeronautics before becoming a UT men ' s dormitory from 1926 to 1962. From general ' s quarters in 1865 to the Arno Nowotny Visitor ' s Center in 1985, the Custer building attracts a former resident for a return visit. The building, Gen. George Custer ' s house for only three months, was transferred permanently to the University in 1926. Staff architect Carl Happel and site work design manager Ed Croslin ex- amine the new floor plan of the restored Custer Building. A restored study room in the Custer Building lets visitors see what the former residents of the dormitory might have seen while studying. . ,:- " -:- V I 12 Opening ”