From Then to Now

A historical comparison of legendary places on campus

Getchell Library

The Noble H. Getchell Library was completed in 1961 and opened in early 1962 to make more space for the expanding student body and its resource needs. Situated where the University Hospital had once been located, the library was named in honor of the Nevada Senator and silver and gold mine owner, Noble H. Getchell. The library expanded in 1977 and became the largest building on campus at the time. It remained in operation until the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center was finished in 2008. Getchell Library was torn down in 2015.

This black and white photo from 1965 shows the front of the Getchell Library as seen looking from a northeast position. This 2021 photo shows the southeast position of the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center and the block N statue in front of the building.

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Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, Noble H. Getchell Library, ca. 1965, UNRA-P2065-2
University Marketing and Communications, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center

Lawlor Events Center

Named in honor of Glenn "Jake" Lawlor, a University alumni who returned in 1942 to coach multiple sports and became Athletics Director in 1959, the Lawlor Events Center opened in 1983. It seats 11,200 for Wolf Pack men’s and women’s basketball sports fans, while additionally hosting other events such as concerts and Winter Commencement.

This black and white photo from 1982 shows Lawlor Events Center under construction. Lawlor Events Center is illuminated during the evening.

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Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, Lawlor Events Center construction, 1982, UNRA-P1283-749
University Marketing and Communications, Lawlor Events Center

Lincoln Hall

Lincoln Hall was built as an all-male dormitory in 1896 and maintained its status as the oldest continuously-operating residence hall in the western United States until 2015. Prior to its opening in 1896, male students slept up to four students to a bed on the top floor of the Mechanical Arts Building, also known as the Rampasture, until the fall of 1895 when a fire destroyed the living area.

Black and white photograph of Lincoln Hall from 1896, with a wooden boardwalk leading through grassy areas up to the entrance. A view of Lincoln Hall, with large trees and the sign above the entrance that reads "Lincoln Hall."

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Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, Lincoln Hall, ca. 1896, UNRA-P1831-1
University Marketing and Communications, Lincoln Hall

Mackay School of Mines

Originally built in 1908, the Mackay School of Mines was funded by Clarence Mackay for mining students. A second floor was added in 1926 by renowned Reno architect Frederic DeLongchamps. After being closed for many years and almost demolished, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and renovated again in 1988. Today, the building houses the DeLaMare Library and the W.M. Keck Museum.

Black and white photo from 1908 of two men walking past newly-planted trees near the Mackay School of Mines Building and the Quad. The John Mackay Statute in front of the Mackay School of Mines building surrounded by elm trees on the University of Nevada, Reno Quad.

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Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, Mackay School of Mines Building, ca. 1911, UNRA-P482-058
University Marketing and Communications, Mackay School of Mines

From Mackay Athletic Fields to Mackay Stadium

Dedicated on October 23, 1909, the Mackay Athletic Fields and Training Quarters were funded by Clarence Mackay. Complete with concrete benches and a sheltering structure to the west, the field was located north of the Mackay School of Mines where the Reynolds School of Journalism, Hilliard Plaza and Chemistry/Physics buildings are located today. When the field was converted into the historic Mackay Stadium in 1940, the two-story brick building known as the Training Quarters remained until all was demolished in 1965 to make way for new buildings.

The modern Mackay Stadium was finished in 1967, replacing the historic Mackay Athletic Fields. Originally able to seat 7,500, since renovations the stadium can now hold more than 30,000 people.

This black and white aerial photograph from 1960 shows the historic Mackay Stadium, Lincoln Hall, the Virginia Street Gymnasium, and the construction of Getchell Library. Fans fill the stands at Mackay Stadium for a Nevada football game.

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Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, Mackay Stadium (Historical), ca. 1960, UNRA-P1071-2
University Marketing and Communications, Mackay Stadium

Manzanita Hall

Originally known as "The Cottage," Manzanita Hall was built in 1896 in an L-shape, half the size it is today. It was the second all-women dormitory built on campus. In 1910, an addition and an eastern-facing porch were added, although the porch was removed when the building was remodeled in 1950. Recently renovated in 2019, Manzanita Hall connects to Juniper Hall, sharing a community lounge on the first floor.

1911 black and white photo of Manzanita Hall with small trees next to the building and the building's reflection visible in Manzanita Lake. Manzanita Hall, flanked by large green trees, sits along Manzanita Lake on the University of Nevada, Reno campus.

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Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, Manzanita Hall and Manzanita Lake, ca. 1911, UNRA-P482-057
University Marketing and Communications, Manzanita Hall and Manzanita Lake

Morrill Hall

Morrill Hall, originally known as the Main Building, was the first building constructed at the University in 1885 and still stands today at the southern part of the Old Quad. This building housed classrooms, dorm rooms, and administrative offices for the university until expansion began. Named for Senator Justin S. Morrill of Vermont, who wrote the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862, the building cost $13,000 to construct. In 1979, the building was renovated to appear how it is today.

Morrill Hall is seen here at a distance shortly after construction was finished with the caption on the image reading, "State University. Reno, Nevada" (photographic print, 4.5 x 8 inches). A small, wooden building is seen in the left of the photo and a horse and buggy carriage is seen to the right. test

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Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, Morill Hall, 1886, UNRA-P218-1
University Marketing and Communications, Morrill Hall and Quad, 2021

The Old Quad

The Quad was part of the beautification of the university campus funded by Clarence Mackay in 1908. The field that had sat to the north of Morrill Hall was turned into a grassy quadrangle complete with pathways on all sides and trees lining it to the east and west were planted in 1908.

Since 1987, the University of Nevada Quadrangle has been listed as a "Jeffersonian academic village" on the National Register of Historic Places, as the campus core follows Thomas Jefferson's design for the University of Virginia Lawn. 

1911 black and white photo that looks north shows the following buildings from left to right: Stewart Hall, Lincoln Hall, Chemistry Building, Mackay School of Mines, Mechanical Building, and the Physics Building. A view of the University of Nevada, Reno Quad looking north, showing large trees surrounding the grass of the Quad. Mackay School of Mines is visible in the distance.

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Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, Quad, ca. 1915, UNRA-P1058-1
University Marketing and Communications, Quad, 2010

The Tram

The Tram was built as a wooden walkway across the original Orr Ditch and eventually separated the lake from the grassy knoll known as Manzanita Bowl. It was converted to concrete in 1937. Manzanita Lake was made by damning up the irrigation "Orr Ditch" that still runs through parts of the university today.

1944 black and white photo of a man kneeling down with a camera next to a snow-covered Tram with Manzanita Lake in the background. The concrete tram separates Manzanita Lake from the grassy, tree-lined Manzanita Bowl on the University of Nevada, Reno campus.

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Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, Tram and Manzanita Lake, 1944, UNRA-P3192-1
University Marketing and Communications, The Tram, Manzanita Lake and the Manzanita Bowl, 2023

Thompson Building

The Thompson Building first opened in 1920 as the Education Building. The building was renamed in 1959 after Reuben C. Thompson, the founder of the Department of Philosophy at the University. It was renovated in 2016 to modernize the structure and make it an ADA compliant building.

This black and white photo from 1955 shows the front of the Thompson Building on the University of Nevada, Reno campus. This 2023 photo shows the front of the Thompson Building on the University of Nevada, Reno campus.

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Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, Education Building (currently Thompson Building), ca. 1955 , UNRA-P2000-1
University Marketing and Communications, Thompson Building, 2023

Max C. Fleischmann Agriculture Building

The Fleischmann Agriculture Building was built in 1957 with funds donated from the Fleischmann Foundation, created by Max C. Fleischmann, a Nevada philanthropist who became a well-established millionaire in Nevada agriculture. The building expanded in 1961-1963 to add the Department of Life Sciences. The College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, the Department of Biology, and the Museum of Natural History all reside in the building today.

This black and white photo from 1958 shows the front of the Max C. Fleischmann Building on the University of Nevada, Reno campus. This 2023 photo shows the front of the Max C. Fleischmann Building on the University of Nevada, Reno campus.

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Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, Max C. Fleischmann Agriculture Building, 1958, UNRA-P247-1
University Marketing and Communications, Max C. Fleischmann Agriculture Building, 2023