A COLORFUL HISTORY
Old Red was completed in 1890 as the home of the University of Texas Medical Department, now known as UTMB. The Medical Department, housed entirely in the new building, opened for its first session on Oct. 5, 1891, with 23 students and 13 faculty.

Designed by renowned architect Nicholas C. Clayton, who also designed many other Galveston landmarks, Old Red was built in the Romanesque Revival style. The building’s colorful nickname comes from the construction materials Clayton chose—red pressed brick, red Texas granite and sandstone.

The Galveston hurricane of 1900, which took 6,000 lives and is still considered one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, destroyed much of Old Red’s roof but left the main structure standing. When the building was repaired, the original decorative turrets were replaced by skylights and a simplified, less ornate roof line.

Old Red continued to house medical school departments throughout the next decades. By the 1960s, however, the building had begun to show its age. Scientific departments were moved to more modern facilities on campus. Though structurally sound, Old Red was in need of repair.

By the 1970s, caring individuals—employees, alumni and friends of the university—began securing funds to restore Old Red to its former grandeur. The restoration began in June 1982 and was completed in July 1985. The building was officially rededicated in April 1986.

Today, Old Red serves thousands of UTMB students, faculty, staff and visitors. It houses student affairs offices, the registrar’s office, the financial aid office, School of Medicine Alumni Association office, an amphitheater, and the Institute for the Medical Humanities, as well as the anatomy laboratory used in the training of future physicians.

But Old Red is more than an office and classroom building. It serves as a fine example of architectural excellence. Its unique brickwork, massive three-story arches, detailed masonry, arcade of small windows that finish the circular wings and main front, and the ornate portico are testaments to 19th-century craftsmanship. As the oldest medical school building in Texas, Old Red has earned true landmark status, not only through its National Register of Historic Places listing and its Texas Historical Commission marker, but in the hearts of the people who’ve worked, studied and visited it over the years.