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Campus Maps, Buildings and Structures

From it's original construction in 1924 until the present, Texas Tech University has gone through several construction booms. The original site consisted of 2,000 acres. Today, Texas Tech has one of the largest campuses in the United States, with several satellite campuses located throughout the State of Texas.


Resources:

Campus Maps

Several Texas Tech campus maps from 1924-2018 have been digitized to show the progression and expansion of the university.

See also the Lubbock Campus Master Plan, 2014 Update Land-Use Vision and Plan - a 85 page PDF by Facilities Planning and Construction which includes a lot of historical information on the university's campus growth.

In 1996, the Texas Technological College Historic District application to the National Register of Historic Places was filed. A scanned photocopy of the 54 page application is viewable as a PDF file. Pages 6 and 8 contain maps of the buildings that make up the historic district.


An Overview of the Texas Tech Campus

In 1925, the only buildings available at the opening of the college were the following structures: the first unit of the Administration Building, the first unit of the Home Economics Building, the Textile Engineering Building, the Cafeteria, the President's Residence, the Stock Judging Pavilion, the Poultry Plant, and the Dairy Barn/Farm.

As no dormitories were yet available on campus in 1925, supervised boarding houses were made available along Broadway. Those north of Broadway were designated for men and those south of Broadway for women. Costs ranged between $30-40 per month and the women's housing fell under the jurisdiction of the Dean of Women. The men's housing fell under the authority of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

The 1925-1926 programs and invitations for events at the Cheri Casa Home for Boys, located at 2406-2408 Main Street, and the Quick Dormitory Home for Boys, located at 9th Street and Avenue X, have been digitized from the Cole Scrapbook and can be viewed here.

Another interesting fact about Texas Tech was the Acre Project, established when the college first opened in 1925. "Each student attending the Texas Technological College during the year 1925-1926, who so desires, will have one acre of ground set apart for his cultivation during the year. No charge will be made for rental, nor for whatever water may be needed for irrigation purposes. He will have free the expert advice of members of the agricultural faculty. These acres may be planted in onions, cantaloupes, watermelons, or other crops, requiring a high degree of intensive cultivation. In many instances as much as one thousand dollars has been cleared from one such acre, under similar conditions." [excerpt from a TTU bulletin entitled, "Preliminary Announcement of Course of Study 1925-1926."] Details on the project can be found on pages 40-41 of the publication, The Opening of a New Institution.

In regards to the architecture of Texas Tech, a Spanish Renaissance style is used to unify the campus appearance. In the 10/15/49 Board of Directors' meeting minutes, the Board, after approving the recommendations of the Building Committee, directed the Committee to inform builders "that plans for new construction to be prepared by them shall conform in every respect to the type of architecture of the present buildings on the campus."


Descriptions and Photos of Early Texas Tech Structures

Descriptions and images of early Texas Tech buildings and structures are available on the Texas Tech Buildings A-Z page. Note this page is currently a work in progress.

Additionally, the three digital photograph collections which contain numerous images of Tech buildings and structures are the Heritage Club Photograph Collection, the Red Raider Retrospective, and the Winston Reeves Photograph Collection.


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