A gift to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville has established a $1 million endowment for the upkeep and maintenance of the Old Main academic building.
The Carl and Marlys Fallen Old Main Endowment will support UA's oldest building, built in 1875 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
"I've always looked at Old Main as the centerpiece of the university. It's just the iconic campus building for me, and I know for other people, too," Carl Fallen, a UA alumnus who went on to work for Tulsa Oil and Gas Company, said in a statement released by the university.
The 106,055-square-foot, five-story building fell into disrepair in the 1970s. It was vacated in the early 1980s pending restoration, with the $10 million project completed in 1991. A state appropriation of $4 million was contributed to the effort, with private fundraising by the university paying for the rest.
Recent upkeep in 2016 involved installing four new limestone columns for the building's portico, a $900,000 project supported with a $700,000 grant from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council.