Office of Physical Plant

      New flag poles installed on Old Main lawn

      The new 90-foot-tall flag poles replace 110-year-old predecessors

      A work crew installs the new flagpoles on the Old Main lawn early on the morning of Sept. 15. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

      UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Central to Old Main’s historic lawn are the two towering flag poles. Earlier this year, the poles that stood in that location since 1914 were removed due to their age and overall condition and replaced with shorter temporary poles.

      During the weekend of Sept. 14-15, the temporary poles were removed and new 90-foot-tall poles were permanently installed. The stone masonry surrounding the base of each pole was fully dismantled and then reconstructed, using the same stone, around the new poles.

      The new poles, which were manufactured in the United States and installed by a Pennsylvania-based, family-owned company, display the American and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania flags, respectively. The flags flown are 12 feet tall and 18 feet wide.

      The first flag raising with the new poles occurred at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15.

      Last Updated September 17, 2024

      Tags