To the left of the main entry is a bust of Dr. Ashbel Smith, the pioneer Texas physician and statesman for whom the building is named. Smith was the driving force behind locating the state university’s medical campus in Galveston, and he served as the first president of the UT Board of Regents.

The 12 statues in the John P. McGovern Hall of Medical History (PDF)  take visitors on a journey through medical history, from the time of the Egyptian Imhotep, circa 2600 B.C., to Marie Curie at the turn of the 20th century. The artworks, created by Doris Appel, are gifts of UTMB benefactor and Houston allergist John P. McGovern.

The grand staircase at the back of the entrance hallway is original to the building. The stairs are of Texas pine, and the banisters of mahogany. During the restoration of Old Red, all of the woodwork was stripped and refinished on site. The ceilings above the staircase are made of new pressed tin and are patterned after the original ceilings.

The amphitheater on the east end of the building still serves as a site for lectures and presentations. The lecture hall has 250 seats, which were installed in 1928. During the restoration, the floors and paneling were completely replaced. A second amphitheater original to the building was closed several decades ago.

NICHOLAS CLAYTON’S GALVESTON
Many other structures designed by Nicholas Clayton survive in Galveston. For information, call the Galveston Historical Foundation at (409) 765-7834. For more information about UTMB and its programs, visit us on the web at www.utmb.edu or call (409) 772-2618