Murphey Hall

Murphey Hall

Murphey Hall was completed in 1923 for use as classrooms and offices. The building originally housed the Departments of English, German, Greek, Latin, and Romance Languages. As the academic departments grew, most eventually moved to new homes: languages to Dey Hall and English to Greenlaw Hall. The Department of Classics, which has been in the building since the 1930s, has been the primary resident of Murphey since the 1970s.

The building is named for Archibald DeBow Murphey, an early graduate of UNC (class of 1799) and a member of the UNC Board of Trustees for several decades. Murphey has been called the father of public education in North Carolina for his strong advocacy for public schools when he was in the state legislature. In this aspect he was ahead of his time: the state would not pass its first public school act until seven years after Murphey's death.

Date Established: 1922

Date Range: 1922 – Present