One of the most Iconic buildings on campus is the administration building. The laying of the cornerstone took place on November 11, 1924, before a crowd of 20,000 people. Governor Pat Neff, standing on a cotton bale, addressed the crowd. Other speakers included Amon G. Carter, Reverend E. E. Robinson, Colonel E. O. Thompson, and Representative R. M. Chitwood. Placed in the corner stone was a time capsule containing such items as the bylaws and member roster of the local Masonic Lodge, various newspapers, a certified copy of the Senate Bill which established the college, and a list of the Texas Tech Board of Directors.

 

On the north side of the building is an inscription of a King Solomon quotation- "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."On the north side are the words "agriculture, science, manufacturing, democracy, homemaking, art and literature," which describe the endeavors of the college.On the archway of the north side are the words "patriotism, religion, industry, virtue, wealth, enlightenment, and citizenship," which represent the goals students should strive towards.

 

On the archway on the south side are the names of 15 people who were thought to embody the ideals of the school officials. The names include Benjamin Franklin, Luther Burbank, St. Paul, Pestalozzi, Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Shakespeare, Hippocrates, Beethoven, and Michaelangelo.The Gallery of Heroes, located on the second floor of the north side, depict images of Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Woodrow Wilson, James Hogg, Albert Sidney Johnston, Davy Crockett, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston.