‘Old Morrison’ is more than a building. It’s a celebrated part of Transylvania’s history
Editor’s Note: As Lexington celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, the Herald-Leader and kentucky.com each day throughout 2025 will share interesting facts about our hometown. Compiled by Liz Carey, all are notable moments in the city’s history - some funny, some sad, others heartbreaking or celebratory, and some just downright strange.
Jan. 27, 1969: “Old Morrison,” the administration building on the Campus of Transylvania University, catches fire.
The city’s only national landmark at the time was almost completely destroyed, officials said. Built in 1833, Old Morrison was erected to replace a previous administration building that was destroyed by fire in 1829.
Transylvania trustee and teacher Henry Clay commissioned Gideon Shryock to design the new building. Shryock had designed Kentucky’s Old State Capitol building just a few years before and was a master of Greek Revival architecture.
The building cost around $31,000 to build (the equivalent of $1.1 million today) and after completion in 1834 it served as an administration building, an academic building and a chapel. During the Civil War, it also served as a hospital and prison for both the Union and the Confederacy.
In 1966, it was recognized as a National Historic Landmark. After the 1969 fire, university officials voted to rebuild the hall to Shryock’s original design, a testament to the school’s history as the oldest university west of the Alleghenies.
This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 8:00 AM.
