Bailey Building History

The Bailey Building at Texas Christian University has been a central monument in the history of our campus since 1914, when it was dedicated as the Brite College of the Bible. In 1958, the building was remodeled at a cost of $200,000 to complement the other newer buildings around campus in order to house the School of Education. It was named for West Texas pioneers, Mary Ann and Robert Bailey and the expenses for the remodeling were generously funded by members of the Bailey family. This remodeling supplied the Bailey Building with classrooms, offices, a faculty lounge and conference rooms. All of the new additions were equipped with the latest technology. The remodeled Bailey Building, the new home of the School of Education, was dedicated at a luncheon on March 5, 1959.

After that time, there were few changes to the building. Almost 50 years with few improvements left the Bailey Building in deplorable condition. The School of Education grew in terms of the number of faculty and students. That growth required classrooms and even hallways to be converted into office space. These and other changes made the building cramped and unattractive.

In 2001, Dean Sam Deitz made a presentation to the TCU Board of Trustees about the needs for improved space in education. His ideas were heard by Ann and Jon Rex Jones, who made a very generous gift that started a new project for education. From that initial gift, TCU worked with Omniplan architects to design a complete restoration of the Bailey Building to its look when it first opened in 1914. The plans also included the construction of an even larger building, eventually named Betsy and Steve Palko Hall which would connect to the Bailey Building creating one large education complex. The dream of a new facility became a reality as funds were raised, Beck Construction was hired to be the contractor, ground was broken in 2006, and the building opened for the fall semester of 2007 – almost 50 years from the time of its first restoration.

Saturday, September 15, 2007, marks a new chapter in the life of the Bailey Building and College of Education (the name was changed from School of Education in June of 2007 to reflect the program’s stature). With the project’s completion in August 2007, the Bailey Building has been restored to its original façade with steps leading up to the building and grand columns lining both sides of the main entrance. The addition of the Betsy and Steve Palko Hall tripled the size of the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation Education Complex and provide much-needed facilities. The classrooms were designed by the College of Education professors, who can use the complex to their fullest teaching capabilities. Students have the opportunity to excel with the new and restored buildings, and the complex finally matches the level of excellence of faculty, staff, and students in the College of Education.