University House

The first residence for the president of the Pennsylvania Land Grant College (name changed in 1862 from the original Pennsylvania Agricultural High School) is today hidden away among engineering buildings.

The original house was designed by Evan Pugh, the first president, who had been anxious to have a residence for he and his new wife since arriving in 1859. He even helped dig the hole for the basement foundation. However, he never got to live in the house. Pugh unexpectedly died from typhoid fever in 1864. The house was first occupied by the second president, William Allen, and his wife later in 1864.

The house has been remodeled and added to a number of times over the years. For example, the eighth president, George Atherton, modified the third floor and roof line, added a porch, and made some other modifications. Ralph Hetzel, the 12th president, made significant structural changes in the mid-1920s including the addition of a garage in the rear and lily pond (known today as the Duck Pond) in front of the house.

The photos below show the house as it appears today with a Georgian front, the bridge over the duck pond, and the pond as viewed from the bridge.

The last resident was President Eric Walker and his family. The Walkers resided there for about a decade. However, he and his family moved out of the house in 1970 after students surrounded the house one evening demanding to talk with him about the major political matter of the day - the Vietnam War. After that the house was repurposed as the alumni center.

In 1997 the house underwent another remodel, including the addition of a wing out the back that quadrupled the size, and was renamed the Hintz Alumni Center .

The gardens of the Hintz Center are a quiet oasis in the southwest corner of the UP campus. In the spring, we especially enjoy sitting on a bench under the trees near the edge of the Duck Pond or on the bridge watching the ducks and ducklings.