On the heart of the Asa Packer campus, occupying a picturesque slope of South Mountain, the University Center is an imposing presence. Originally named Packer Hall after Lehigh’s founder, it was the first structure specifically built for Lehigh. High Victorian in style, it was designed by architect Edward T. Potter, who built a temporary spur line from the Lehigh Valley Railroad in South Bethlehem to transport stone to the building site by rail. The building, which has a bell tower, took three years to build and was completed in 1869.

Initially, Packer Hall housed classrooms, a library, the president’s offices, a chemical laboratory and a museum. A gym was added in 1874, and the president’s offices were expanded in 1889. In the mid-1950s, the interior was gutted, floor space was added and the building was renamed.

A planned restoration is part of a university initiative.