Built in 1913, Curry Hall is the oldest remaining building on the University of North Texas campus. Curry Hall was originally used as a library and gym, and even had a different name; the Historical Building. At the time of Curry’s construction, UNT only had three other major buildings: the Main Building (later torn down to create the Auditorium Building), the Science Building (demolished in 1970 and replaced by the present-day Language Building), and the First President’s House (later replaced by Hickory Hall). The Historical Building was made of fireproof brick, reinforced concrete and steel, and contained reading rooms, stack rooms, club and organization meeting rooms, a gymnasium, a library, and recitation rooms.
In 1925, a museum was established in Curry named “The Historical Collection,” which came to have quite an eclectic assortment of items. By 1952, the collection included dinosaur thigh bones, a “rock” piano made of 26 volcanic rocks that each gave off a different musical pitch when hit, an 800-year-old Japanese warrior coat of mail, an Eskimo kayak, and much more. The museum closed in 1986 and its collections were donated to other museums.
In 1990, the Historical Building was remodeled to include offices and classrooms to be used by the College of Business, and was renamed in 1991 in honor of the founding Dean of the College of Business Administration (1947-1969), O.J. Curry.
Denton County Office of History and Culture: Blog 