Indiana University of Pennsylvania, one of two the largest university of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, first opened in 1875 as the Indiana Normal School. Upon opening, John Sutton Hall was the school's only building, housing dormitories for all 225 students. Sutton Hall additionally held classroom and office space, an infirmary, dining hall, and gymnasium.

Timeline The earliest building currently owned by the university is Breezedale, which served as a private residence from its construction in 1868 until it was purchased by the university in 1947. The following is a timeline of the university's buildings. Those in italics no longer exist.Preservation Plan, pg. 85

Breezedale, 1868 (purchased by the university in 1947) John Sutton Hall, 1875 Wilson Hall, 1894 Clark Hall, 1894 (destroyed by fire in 1905) Expansion of John Sutton Hall, 1903 (additions removed in 1975) Leonard Hall, 1903 (destroyed by fire in 1952) Thomas Sutton Hall, 1903 (demolished in 1975) Clark Hall, 1906 Uhler Hall, c. 1920 (purchased by the university in 1963) Waller Hall, 1927 McElhaney Hall, 1931 Fisher Auditorium, 1939 Keith Hall, 1939 (demolished in 2016) Military Hall, 1947 (later the Administrative Annex, demolished in 2006) Whitmyre Hall, 1951 Leonard Hall, 1953 (demolished in 2017) Cogswell Hall, 1960 Langham Hall, 1960 Wahr Hall, 1960 (demolished in 2006) Walsh Hall, 1960 (demolished in 2020) Hadley Union Building, 1961 (expanded in 1962, 1966, 1972, and 1985) Stabley Library, 1961 Mack Hall, 1963 (demolished in 2007) Stewart Hall, 1963 (demolished in 2007) Turnbull Hall, 1963 (demolished in 2007) Ackerman Hall, 1964 Gordon Hall, 1964 (demolished in 2007) Elkin Hall, 1965 Foster Hall, 1965 Weyandt Hall, 1966 (demolished in 2024) Memorial Field House, 1966 Wallace Hall (demolished in 2009) Esch Hall (demolished in 2009) Eicher Hall, 1970 Pierce Hall, 1970 Lawrence Hall, 1971 (demolished in 2009) Scranton Hall, 1971 (demolished in 2009) Shafer Hall, 1971 (demolished in 2009) Folger Hall, 1972 Sprowls Hall, 1972 Stright Hall, c.1976 Zink Hall, 1976 Stapleton Library, 1981 (connected to Stabley Library) S.W. Jack Cogeneration Plant, 1988 Delaney Hall, 2007 Putt Hall, 2007 Northern Suites, 2008 Ruddock Hall, 2008 Suites on Maple East, 2008 Suites on Pratt, 2009 Wallwork Hall, 2009 Stephenson Hall, 2010 Jane E. Leonard Hall, 2015 North Dining Hall, 2017 Kopchick Hall, 2024

Administrative buildings

Sutton Hall

John Sutton Hall was constructed between 1873 and 1875 to house the Indiana Normal School, a school to train women to become teachers. The building was designed by James W. Drum, who also designed the 1869 Indiana County Courthouse, the Jefferson County Courthouse, and the St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church in Indiana. Originally Sutton Hall was the school's only building and contained classrooms and dormitories

In the 1974 university officials decided to demolish the building because upkeep costs were too high. However, an effort to save the building eventually led it to be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and the demolish decision was overturned.

Today Sutton Hall serves as the administrative center of the university, housing the Office of the President, and various administrative and academic department offices.

Breezedale Breezedale was constructed in 1868 and served as a private residence for James Sutton, brother of university founder John Sutton, and his wife Sara. The house sat on a 7-acre property near where John constructed a building to house the normal school when it opened in 1875. It was designed in the popular Italianate style. Mrs. Sutton took an interest in decorating the interior, purchasing foreign goods including French Louis Quinze chairs, a white Italian marble statue, and a portrait of herself done in Germany.

James Sutton died in 1870, and after Mrs. Sutton passed, the house was purchased by John Elkin in 1899. Elkin earned a law degree for the University of Michigan, served as a Pennsylvania state legislator, and was appointed as the state's attorney general in 1899. The residence was vacant following the death of Elkin's wife in 1934 until it was purchased by the adjacent university in 1947. Upon purchase by the university, Breezedale served as a men's dormitory, and was additionally used by the foreign language and art departments. Beginning in 1985, the university carried out renovations to Breezedale and in 1989 it reopened as the Alumni Center.Preservation Plan, pgs. 87-88

Breezedale was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 29, 1979.NPS Focus, National Park Service. Retrieved October 28, 2010.

Clark Hall An original Clark Hall was built in 1894 to serve as a men's dormitory for both faculty and students. The building was designed by the same architect as Wilson Hall, and both projects were funded by the same state appropriation. The original structure was destroyed by fire in 1905 and replaced by the current building in 1906. Significant renovations were performed in 1998, including the addition of a new wing.Preservation Plan, pgs. 98-99 Today Clark Hall houses student administrative functions such as the registrar, bursar, and financial aid offices.

Eicher Hall Eicher Hall was completed in 1969 and served as the maintenance buildings, housing various shops and garages.Catalog, pg. 41 Then Eicher housed the American Language Institute, which provided intensive English as a Second Language courses, the University Writing Center, and the Criminal Justice Training academy. However, the building was demolished in 2024.

Pratt Hall Pratt Hall opened in September 1969 and is named for Willis E. Pratt, who served as the university's president from 1948 to 1968. The building contained various offices, meeting rooms, and an auditorium. Pratt Hall is currently in the process of demolition.Catalog, pg. 43

University libraries From opening until 1941, the university operated a small library in Sutton Hall. In 1941 the library was relocated to Wilson Hall, where it was housed until 1961. After the construction of the Rhodes R. Stabley Library in 1961, the university's collection was moved again. The Patrick J. Stapleton Library opened adjacent and connected to Stabley Library, and both buildings are utilized today to house over 800,000 volumes.

Upon opening in 1875 the university maintained a small library. While contained in Sutton Hall until 1941, the collection was relocated three different times. By the 1884–85 school year, the collection held 1,000 volumes. A literacy program by the YWCA that encouraged female students to read helped add to the collection. In 1902 the collection held 4,650 volumes, and had expanded to 6,803 in 1910.

In the 1930s, the library established a textbook collection, and shortly after the collection outgrew the space in Sutton Hall. In 1941 the library moved to Wilson Hall. Originally constructed in 1893, Wilson Hall had served as the model school until it was renovated to house the library collection. The new location had seating capacity for 225 students and room of 50,000 volumes.

Wilson Hall held the library until 1961, upon the opening of the Rhodes Stabley Library, the university's first exclusive library building. The new building could hold 130,000 volumes and opened in April 1961. In 1963 the university was selected for the Federal Depository Library Program, and began receiving federal government publications at no charge. By 1967 the library collection grew to include 126,000 volumes and 80,000 other items. It was ranked as the number twelve academic library in Pennsylvania.

The institution achieved university status and became the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1967, the library collection was expanded to accommodate developing master's and doctorate programs. With the collection outgrowing the capacity of the Stabley Library, plans were made to construct a new, larger building. Original plans intended to construct the new facility on the location of Sutton Hall which was scheduled to be demolished. When Sutton Hall was preserved, it was decided to construct the new library attached to the Stabley Library.

The Patrick J. Stapleton Library, named after Indiana native and member of the Pennsylvania State Senate Patrick J. Stapleton, Jr., opened in 1981. At that time, it was the largest academic library between the University of Pittsburgh's Hillman Library and Penn State's Pattee Library.

Academic buildings

Cogswell Hall Cogswell Hall houses the Music Department of the College of Fine Arts. The building first opened in 1960, but underwent a complete renovation between 2004 and 2006. When first constructed, Cogswell Hall was designed for 200 students and 20 faculty. Upon reopening in 2006 however, the department consisted of 343 undergraduate students, 15 graduate students, and a faculty of 34. The new facility contains the Orendorff Music Library, dedicated practice space for the jazz, percussion and choral ensembles, as well as the IUP Marching Band. There are 49 individual practice rooms, compared to 14 in the older building. The building also contains a recording studio dedicated to The Clarks, a Pittsburgh-based rock band whose members met while attending the university. The group played a benefit concert at Fisher Auditorium in 2006, raising $25,000 for the project.

Keith Hall Keith Hall was built in 1938 to serve as a training school for the university's student teachers and opened in 1939 as the Keith Laboratory and Demonstration School, an elementary and junior high school for 400 students.Preservation Plan, pgs. 43, 95 Between 1969 and 1970, the laboratory school was converted to use for classrooms and offices and was utilized by the departments of history and political science.Preservation Plan, pg. 95 Keith Hall, along with Leonard Hall, have been replaced with a new facility for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Keith Hall was demolished in 2015, and a dining hall was built in its place.

Leonard Hall An original Leonard Hall built in 1903 was destroyed by fire in 1952. The fire was among the top ten greatest property losses due to fire in the United States that year.Juliette and Landon, pg. 124 A new building was constructed on the same site the following year.Preservation Plan, pg. 97 Leonard Hall which houses the departments of English and geography, was demolished following nearby Keith Hall, and the two were replaced by a new facility for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, which is also named Leonard Hall.

McElhaney Hall McElhaney Hall, adjacent to Sutton Hall on the Oak Grove, was built in 1931. A complete renovation was carried out between 1995 and 1997.Preservation Plan, pg. 99 Currently McElhaney Hall houses the departments of sociology and anthropology and the office of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Uhler Hall Uhler Hall was built circa 1920 as West Indiana Public School and later became Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School, both part of public school system in Indiana. The university purchased the building in 1963 and completed a renovation and addition in 1997.Preservation Plan, pgs. 63 and 101

Wilson Hall