“Built in 1887-88, this building was designated as a historic landmark by the University’s Board of Trustees in 1962 and has the distinction of being the oldest building on campus whose exterior has not been significantly altered since its construction.
Though the building’s size can lead it to get lost among the others now surrounding it, Old Botany’s architectural features give it a look that is unmatched on campus. The building, designed by Frederick L. Olds, features semicircular windows, four eyelid dormers (two on each side) and is topped by a decorative terra cotta crest. Some who have written about the building have said Old Botany was designed after the “Richardsonian Romanesque” style of 19th century Boston architect Henry Richardson, though the building lacks several key features that would put it firmly into that category.” (source: http://news.psu.edu/story/166082/2010/07/19/old-botany-building-has-been-witness-much-penn-states-history)
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