Stamped!

Bear Down

University of Arizona

Red brick is part of almost every University of Arizona building. Campus architect Roy Place carried the look through the 1920s and 1930s in Centennial Hall, Bear Down Gym and the Arizona State Museum's south building.

  • 4Buildings
  • 1Tradition
  • 1891Oldest · Old Main
  • 1937Newest · Centennial Hall

Planning the visit

  • Fly intoTucson International Airport (TUS)

    Tucson International, south of the city center, is the main airport for southern Arizona.

  • Getting aroundWalking / Sun Link Streetcar

    The core of campus is walkable. The Sun Link streetcar connects campus with Main Gate Square, Fourth Avenue and downtown Tucson.

  • Colors and teams

    The school colors are cardinal red and navy blue, and the teams are the Wildcats.

4 buildings to stamp

  1. Old Main
    Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Old Main

    University of Arizona campus, Tucson, AZ

    Phoenix architect James Miller Creighton designed the university's first building, begun in 1887 and opened in 1891. It is one of the oldest surviving school buildings in the western United States and now holds the Office of the President.

    Built
    1891
    Architect
    James Miller Creighton
    Style
    Eclectic
    Today
    Office of the President
  2. Arizona State Museum
    Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Arizona State Museum

    University of Arizona campus, Tucson, AZ

    Founded in 1893, the museum collects and studies the archaeology and cultures of the Southwest. Its south building, designed by Roy Place in 1935, mixes Italian and Spanish Romanesque Revival details in red brick.

    Built
    1935
    Architect
    Roy Place
    Style
    Italian and Spanish Romanesque Revival
    Today
    Anthropology Museum

  3. Centennial Hall

    1020 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ

    Roy Place designed the campus auditorium in the Italian Romanesque Revival style, with large arched windows and entrances. It opened in 1937, and from 1947 to 1984 its Sunday Evening Forum hosted speakers such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Eleanor Roosevelt.

    Built
    1937
    Architect
    Roy Place
    Style
    Italian Romanesque Revival
    Today
    Performing Arts Hall
  4. Bear Down Gym
    Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Bear Down Gym

    E Fourth St, University of Arizona campus, Tucson, AZ

    Lyman & Place designed this red brick men's gymnasium, opened in 1926, with Classical Revival touches such as a strong base and diamond motifs in its frieze. It was home to Wildcats basketball until McKale Center opened in 1973.

    Built
    1926
    Architect
    Lyman & Place (Roy Place)
    Style
    Classical Revival
    Today
    Multi-purpose Hall

1 tradition to check off

Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.

  • Bear Down Gym

    "Bear Down," the school's rallying cry, comes from a 1926 message from dying student body president John "Button" Salmon to his team, and Bear Down Gym, the old men's gymnasium, carries the name. Stop by the gym where the slogan lives on.

Know University of Arizona well?

Students and alumni know the traditions best. Suggest one we're missing, a building worth a stamp, or a fix. Every suggestion is checked against a source before it goes into the app.

I'm suggesting

Opens your email app with this filled in, addressed to [email protected].

More Big 12 schools

Stamp all 4 on your visit.

Tour University of Arizona in 3D before you go, add it to a college road trip and earn a passport stamp at every building. Free on iPhone and iPad.

Download on theApp Store