Use the camera on your smartphone to scan the QR codes located on several campus buildings or use the map and sites listed on this page to navigate this self-guided tour of UNA's historic campus.
All images courtesy of the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library's Local History Collection, Collier Library's Archives and Special Collections at the University of North Alabama, and the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, unless otherwise noted.
Coby Hall/ Irvine House
Coby Hall/ Irvine House
459 North Court Street
Enslaved laborers built the Irvine House in 1843 for John Simpson, a successful merchant and planter who came to the United States from northern Ireland. G.W. Foster purchased the large, federal-style home for his daughter Virginia and her husband James B. Irvine in 1855. The house was purchased and renovated by David Brubacker. Brubacker donated the house to the University of North Alabama in memory of his late wife, Coby Stockard Brubaker.
Bibb Graves Hall, now referred to as 601 Cramer Way, was constructed in 1929 and dedicated the following year. Originally named for Democratic Governor Bibb Graves, then college president Henry Willingham called it "the single best college building in Alabama...in its appointments, workmanship, and material."
Willingham Hall
Willingham Hall
Cramer Way
The Work Projects Administration built Willingham Hall in 1939, initially as a boys' dormitory. It only housed male students, however, for the first couple of years. Female students occupied the residence hall from 1948-1968.
Old Kilby School/ Mathematics Building
Old Kilby School/
Mathematics Building
Circular Road
The old Kilby School building was constructed in 1922 during the tenure of Alabama Governor Thomas E. Kilby. It was built as a training school to house grades one through six, eventually adding grades seven and eight. The old Kilby School building housed the university's mathematics department until it was demolished in late 2021 to make room for a larger facility planned to host both the mathematics and computer science departments.
Rogers Hall/ Courtview
Rogers Hall/ Courtview
500 North Court Street
Standing at the northern end of Court Street, Rogers Hall is the finest example of Greek Revival architecture in Florence. With its massive Ionic columns and raised entry, this building was built as a display of wealth and power.
Wesleyan Hall
Wesleyan Hall
Cramer Way
Wesleyan Hall was constructed in 1856 to house Florence Wesleyan University, formerly known as LaGrange College of what was then Franklin County. It is built in the Gothic Revival style and influenced the style of campus architecture going forward. It remains an iconic building on the landscape of North Alabama and an exemplary example of the Gothic Revival style.
Keller Hall
Keller Hall
Aderholt Way
Keller Hall was constructed in 1947 as a boys' dormitory. Its completion rounded out a collection of buildings added to campus in the years leading up to World War II. Construction not related to the war effort ceased during the war and resumed following its resolution.
In 1972, construction wrapped on Flowers Hall, named after long-time UNA faculty member and athletic director Hubert A. “Eddie” Flowers. Built on the site of the Stewart's Spring community, the gymnasium hosts events including basketball games and tournaments, women’s volleyball games, commencement, Panhellenic performances, and concerts. Flowers Hall has changed to adapt to the university's continued growth.
Memorial Amphitheater
Memorial Amphitheater
132 Shelby Way
The Memorial Amphitheater is a defining landmark on UNA’s campus. It has been the location of community events and meetings giving students a beautiful place to study on a warm spring day. The amphitheater's community use has roots in the UNA Alumni Association. Susan Jones Price, secretary of the Alumni Association, proposed its construction in 1925 to memorialize students who died in World War I. Price’s effort came to fruition and the project began in 1934. The Civil Works Administration (CWA) supervised the construction of the Memorial Amphitheater.
The amphitheater is located in the heart of the UNA campus, between the Guillot University Center and Collier Library. Beneath it, there are also two large dressing rooms with showers. Today, those areas are storage spaces but at the time of construction were exciting additions like the lights and speaker system.
Susan Jones Price was the driving force behind the amphitheater’s construction. She was one of the longest-serving faculty of the Florence State Normal School teaching for thirty years. Price taught a fieldwork course for the geography department every spring in which students did not have textbooks, instead learning from the world around them. Price’s ties to the university were even closer.
