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| A man drinking from the bucket at the "Old" Old Well at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1892. |
The Old Well has a long history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It served as the campus's sole water source for many years.Today students still drink from the well on the first day of classes for good luck.The Old Well is a small, neoclassical rotunda located on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus at the southern end of McCorkle Place. The current decorative form of the Old Well was modeled after the Temple of Love in the Gardens of Versailles and was completed in 1897. It was designed by the university registrar Eugene Lewis Harris (1856-1901), an artist and 1881 graduate of the institution, who served as registrar from 1894 to 1901. It is the most enduring symbol of UNC.
The Old Well is located between Old East and Old West dormitories. For many years, it served as the sole water supply for the university. In 1897, the original well was replaced and given its present signature structure by university president Edwin A. Alderman. In 1954, the university built benches, brick walls, and planted various flower beds and trees around the Old Well.
Today, passers-by can drink from a marble water fountain supplying city water that sits in the center of the Old Well. Campus tradition dictates that a drink from the Old Well on the first day of classes will bring good luck (or straight A's).
The Old Well is recognized as a National Landmark for Outstanding Landscape Architecture by the American Society of Landscape Architects. The Old Well is also used on the official stamp of all apparel licensed by the university. Because of its status as a symbol of the university, it is the target of vandals around the time of Carolina - State sporting events.
On game days, the North Carolina Tar Heels football team travels from the team hotel and is dropped off in the center of campus, which is the Old Well. From there, the team walks from the Old Well through Tar Heel Town and into the Kenan Football Center. This walk originated in 2001, and is usually packed with fans hoping to see their favorite player(s). The Old Well walk starts approximately two and a half hours prior to kickoff.