Knox College's Old Main damaged but shows its resilience

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Knox College's venerable "Old Main" has weathered a lot of storms during its 150 years as the campus sentinel. Perhaps none was as powerful as Thursday's.

That the city's most historic building didn't suffer more damage is a miracle, and a testament to it construction. The college community and the Galesburg community are thankful for that, and for what Old Main represents.

The storm hit Galesburg just as the Knox College campus was coming back to life for the fall term. Athletes had been back for some time, practicing for the upcoming season. Faculty and staff were getting ready for the return of students and the beginning of classes next week.

Shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday hurricane-force winds and a wall of water swept across west-central Illinois, felling trees, damaging houses and killing power. Slowly but surely Galesburg and the surrounding towns are recovering, a testament to our resilience.

Old Main was not spared the storm's fury. A portion of the building's roof was lifted, causing blocks of cement and several bricks to fall from its southwest corner. The original roof, which is covered by another metal roof, remained intact and prevented any rain from damaging the inside.

Two trees also hit the roof of Neal-Conger Hall, a dormitory located along South West Street. College officials say the damage will not affect students or the start of the school year.

The college and its contractors are still assessing the damage. It could take months before the repairs are complete.

It isn't the first time, of course, that storms damaged buildings on the Knox campus. On May 15, 1858, tornado-like winds blew the spire off of Beecher Chapel, which no longer exists. The same metal roof that covers Old Main's original roof blew off during a 1969 storm, causing damage to the bell tower. The second metal roof did save the building's interior from any water damage, just like it did last week.

Old Main is the most historic building in a community that has several of them - Carl Sandburg's birthplace, the Orpheum, the Congregational Church, to name a few. It is the only remaining structure that hosted the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas Debates. Next year, the school, the state and the country will mark the sesquicentennial of those debates. Old Main should be a major part of the commemoration.

But first Knox College and the Galesburg community will mark the 150th anniversary of the building's opening. Old Main takes center stage during the college's homecoming weekend (Oct. 19-21). Lectures and other events, including a giant birthday cake, will mark the sesquicentennial.

Old Main is the physical symbol of Knox College. It represents the college's heart, its soul and its resilience. It represents that for the Galesburg community as well. The building and the community survived a horrific storm and, thankfully, are well on their way to recovery. - Don Cooper, publisher