The University of Toledo is laying new slate atop some of the oldest buildings on campus — a major restoration project that honors and preserves the University’s iconic Collegiate Gothic architecture.
Clustered on the northwest side of campus, Libbey, MacKinnon, Scott and Tucker halls are some of the original buildings on Main Campus completed between 1935 and 1938. Drawn up to match the stately design of University Hall and the Memorial Field House, the buildings were steeply pitched, faced in buff lannon stone and capped with multicolored slate tile.
A contractor nails down a new slate roof tile on MacKinnon Hall. UToledo is replacing the original slate roofs on MacKinnon, Libbey, Scott and Tucker halls.
Nearly a century later — and after multiple interior renovations — it is time to replace that original slate roofing.
UToledo embarked on the $4.8 million project to re-roof the four buildings earlier this year, beginning with MacKinnon Hall. Contractors are now preparing to begin work at Libbey Hall, with Scott and Tucker scheduled to follow. The roofing project is set to be complete in late November.
“Our Collegiate Gothic architecture at The University of Toledo is a brand element,” said Jason Toth, senior associate vice president for administration. “It’s part of who we are. We as a department and an institution, are committed to preserving the historic integrity of these original buildings, and this project reflects that goal.”
Once a common roofing material for commercial and residential buildings alike, slate is an extremely long-lasting material, with an expected life of about 100 years with little to no maintenance required. Though quarried slate has been replaced in popularity by asphalt shingles and other engineered materials for their lower cost and ease of installation, the slate roof remains a defining feature of Gothic Revival design.
“Slate was the material of choice because of its longevity, but it also offered a complement to the architectural aesthetic of those buildings. It fits the stone-heavy design,” Toth said.
Collegiate Gothic architecture is an offshoot of the Gothic Revival movement that flourished from the mid 1800s through the early decades of the 1900s. Drawing inspiration from medieval cathedrals, English Tudor estates and the great halls of the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, the style is represented on college campuses throughout the United States.
An archival photo shows men working outside Tucker Hall, which was completed in 1935. Contractors will replace the building’s original, 90-year-old slate roof later this year.
At UToledo, Collegiate Gothic was chosen for the first building on the new Bancroft Street Campus. That sprawling structure — University Hall, completed in 1931 — set the tone for the rest of the decade’s construction.
“When you look at the tradition of our campus starting with University Hall, then the Field House and Scott, Tucker, Libbey and MacKinnon halls, that is the dominate style,” Toth said. “It’s the stone, the steeply pitched roofs, the patinaed copper, the slate roofs, the mullioned windows. That’s Toledo Collegiate Gothic.”
Even UToledo’s later buildings use reference points from the original architecture. The Law Center, Carlson Library, and McMaster Hall, for example, all have at least some slate elements on their roofs.
Installing slate, and the copper flashing that surrounds it, is a specialized trade, and UToledo spent a considerable amount of time working to drum up interest from experienced contractors. In the end, the winning bid came from Mid-State Roofing and Coating, a company based in central Pennsylvania.
The only significant difference in the newly installed slate tile versus the original slate is that the buildings initially used tiles with a graduated thickness. While that process — where tiles get thinner as they approach the ridge of the roof — adds texture, it also makes any future repairs much more challenging. With standard thickness tiles, Toth said, UToledo only needs to keep one size in reserve, rather than trying to find a specific match for damaged tiles.
UToledo’s commitment to historic preservation and having a consistent design language also shows up in how it has saved and reused the signature lannon stone.
When Carter Hall was torn down in 2021, the University salvaged the building’s lannon stone. That stone was later reused as the base for the new signage honoring the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation and the Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences and Education. Other pieces were repurposed for the short wall that backs UToledo’s new mascot plaza on Centennial Mall.
“It’s a unique product that’s a big part of our identity and one that’s going to stand the test of time,” Toth said. “By reusing that, we’re preserving our history.”
Similarly, UToledo saved the lannon stone that was present on International House, which was razed earlier this year. That stone will be cleaned and reused for the upcoming welcome center that will be connected to Scott and Tucker halls.
