The demolition of Guion Hall in 1971 was one of the saddest episodes in Aggieland. I was only 6 years old when it happened, but Ol' Army died a little that day. Below is a photo of Guion Hall still clinging to its existence after an extended battle with the wrecking ball...I heard a larger wrecking ball had to be used - the first wrecking ball merely bounced off the walls like a tennis ball. This building (which along with Sbisa anchored Military Walk) just didn't want to disappear.







[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 1/31/2013 1:32p).]

Man, that brings back memories. When I was a teenager my parents and I would go see the Aggie Players do musicals there. It was fifty years ago easily, but I have great memories of seeing Can-Can and Anything Goes.

My mother was visiting campus when they were demolishing it, and took a small acorn-like concrete piece from the rubbish pile. It's now a bookend in my office.

I grew up in CS but have no memory of Guion, just of Rudder being built. I wish I go back in time!

Great photo!

Some people think that Rudder Tower is where Guion Hall was. This is not true. Rudder Tower could have still been built west of Guion Hall. Guion Hall is where the east side of the Theater Complex is located (near where the Rudder statue stands).











[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 1/31/2013 5:40p).]

What a shame. Hey, is FossilAg still around?

Why did they tear it down?

Yes Phil I am still around. I agree that it was a sad day. Guion Hall was treasure. So sad to see it demolished ...a travesty.

Whatever the case, it's gonna be a sad day when they destroy Kyle Field.

I know where the old press box from Kyle field is hidden (to make room for the last upper deck expansion). Well, the pieces of it and the columns that supported it. It's a shadow of its former self but its strength still holds back a river.

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Whatever the case, it's gonna be a sad day when they destroy Kyle Field.

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The most iconic, historic part of Kyle Field was torn down when they built The Zone (with tan vinyl siding). The remaining historic parts of Kyle Field are pretty well hidden with newer construction. The historic arches were featured on many of the old post cards from the late 1920s and 1930s. They could have left the columns and arches as part of the plaza (which would have been really impressive), but the gave the 1927-1929 arches the Guion Hall treatment.

Maybe they can rebuild a fascade on the north side similar to the arched entrance pictured below.






































[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 1/31/2013 6:27p).]

It was always impressive seeing the FTAB emerge from the horseshoe tunnel. Heck, it was even impressive seeing the sip band come out of the tunnel.

The area under the Kyle Field arches was my "secret" parking place to go to basketball games at G. Rollie. I always found a place there, never got blocked in and never got a ticket. And I never knew why those things didn't happen!

[That is not what happened. If you post something like that again on this site you will be permanently banned. -Staff]

[This message has been edited by TexAgs staff (edited 2/1/2013 1:19p).]

Wow, Old Main, I had almost forgotten those north end zone arches -- thank you! And man, Guion was gorgeous. What was it used for back in its prime?

Kyle is bad enough, but for me, Jollie Rollie will really hurt. Ahhh, progress. :-/

They may have learned something with Guion. I noticed when they rebuilt the YMCA building they kept the facade and just rebuilt the rest of it.

I am afriad that Kyle is not going to have anything remotely like it's old self, if the Zone expansion last decade is any indication.

I'm a current student and I always wished we had kept the more historice buildings of campus. I was asked one time on a senior day which old buildings we had and it was awkward to have to tell them we tore all of ours down.

Legett and Milner Hall were built in 1911, I believe. Sbisa, YMCA, and Academic Building came in the years following. Check HistoricAggieland.

Nagle Hall (1909) and The Agricultural Experiment Station (Analytical Services) Building (1909) are the two oldest buildings remaining on campus. Everything from 1876 to 1908 is gone. Construction on Old Main and Gathright Hall probably began in 1871 or 1872. Classes began in 1876, so the original campus was in place in the late 1870s.

It was a theater. it was intended for live performances but they also showed We've Never been Licked there during football season once each year. One summer I was in the
""Aggie Follies" performed there

I heard that Guion Hall was very famous for some of the performances that were held there. One story is that in the 1950s or 1960s a singer a little past her prime (can't remember her name) got a lot of "attention" from the cadets. She didn't know how to deal with all of the adoration and hollering so she stormed off the stage and made a formal complaint.



[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 2/5/2013 3:01p).]

My Dad took me to see "An Evening with Basil Rathbone" at Guion Hall. He told the story that the guy who taught him to fence in The Adventures of Robin Hood had learned fencing at A&M! Also movies cost a dime. Of course that was maybe 1964.

Old Main said:

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Whatever the case, it's gonna be a sad day when they destroy Kyle Field.

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The most iconic, historic part of Kyle Field was torn down when they built The Zone (with tan vinyl siding). The remaining historic parts of Kyle Field are pretty well hidden with newer construction.

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The second deck on the alumni side was once widened to be what it was in the 70s. They didn't actually extend the second deck -- they built an entire new second deck between 5 and 6 feet above the previous second deck.

If you climbed around on the second deck back then, you could find your way into the previous second deck with a little luck. After all these years, I don't remember the details of how it was done.

The previous seats were gone and there was hardly any trash. If I remember correctly, I had to bend over slightly, but not much.

From the ground, if you knew what you were looking for, you could see the deck, but it was not at all obvious what it was.

I hope nothing else historical gets destroyed.

Old State Chem building was torn down this summer

legalbird said:

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I hope nothing else historical gets destroyed.

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Attempts already underway to destroy Sul Ross and his statue??

RIP Old Zachry.

JaneDoe02 said:

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Old State Chem building was torn down this summer

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Which one is that?

Old State Chem had over 100 window units....walls were cracking and could not be reasonably renovated.

Brat86 said:

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Old State Chem had over 100 window units....walls were cracking and could not be reasonably renovated.

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Where was it? What's there now?

Old State Chem was behind (west of) Heldenfels and BSBE. It's just grass now. No idea what the long term plan is for that site.

JaneDoe02 said:

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Old State Chem was behind (west of) Heldenfels and BSBE. It's just grass now. No idea what the long term plan is for that site.

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Long-term plan was (several years ago) to renovate and expand BSBW onto that site.

The window units weren't the problem, the crumbling structural concrete, falling eaves/cornices, and rotted floors/sub-flooring were. Also it wasn't ADA accessible.
A contractor told me that they were coring to run new pipes at one point and the concrete wouldn't hold a shape; just crumbled apart.