The University of Texas at Austin (UT) has announced that its flagship architectural landmark will undergo renovations for the first time ever.
Austin NBC affiliate KXAN reported that during his annual State of The University Address on Tuesday, president Dr. Jay Hartzell said that a “record-breaking” project for the 85-year-old UT Tower is in the future.
“The Tower endures as a beacon for truth-seekers, academic excellence and achievement, on the very spot where our first learning community gathered,” Hartzell said, the station reported. “Soon, the Tower will shine even brighter.”
The president added that the UT System Board of Regents and Chairman Kevin Eltife, a former state senator, will provide more details in an upcoming announcement, according to KXAN.
The website MySanAntonio.com reported that Hartzell’s remarks were a reference to an inscription on the tower that reads: "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
According to UT, the tower was designed by French-born architect Paul Cret and rises 307 feet above the ground.
The building at its base was the location of the university’s central library but now houses administrative offices and reading rooms available for student access, per the school.
A cherished, longstanding UT tradition involves lighting the tower orange in honor of collegiate championships won by the Longhorns, with the previous academic year having witnessed at least two lightings.
Per Hartzell, KXAN reported, the UT Tower project is a part of plans to build “a campus for the next century.”
“Perhaps no physical space on campus is more photographed or more recognizable than the UT Tower,” the president said in notes obtained by the station.