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Completed
in 1891, the Ashbel Smith Building housed the entire medical school when it
first opened. It is named for a prominent Texas physician and statesman who
played a major role in the establishment of both the University of Texas in
Austin and the Medical Department in Galveston. Smith also served as the
first chairman of the Board of Regents. Recognized for its ornate, Romanesque
style, the building is known informally today as “Old Red” because of its
ruddy exterior of red pressed brick from south Harris County’s Cedar Bayou
area, red Texas granite
columns, and sandstone capitals and ornamentation.
Designed
by renowned architect Nicholas Clayton, the impressive structure is listed on
the National Register of Historic Places and is a registered Texas historic
landmark.
The
building was rededicated in 1986 after extensive renovation, and today houses
the registrar’s and student admissions offices, the School of Medicine Alumni
Association office, the Institute for the Medical
Humanities, and the anatomy
laboratory. Also of interest is the Founders Walk leading up to the building and
the John P. McGovern Hall of Medical History
(PDF), featuring 12 larger-than-life statues
sculpted by Doris Appel. The artworks represent outstanding contributors to the
field of medicine, from Imhotep in 2600 B.C. to Marie Curie, whose work earned
two Nobel Prizes in the early 20th century.
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