When Vanderbilt first opened its doors for classes in October 1875, this Victorian building with sweeping stairways, twin towers, a gabled roof and ornate arches was known as Main Building. Old Main housed classrooms, laboratories, administrative offices for all departments except law (which had rooms downtown) and medical (a separate entity on the University of Nashville campus several miles away), and the library. A 1,000-pound Westminster bell hung in one of the towers until a devastating fire in 1905 destroyed most of the building. After the fire, Main Building was rebuilt as "College Hall," in an Italian style inspired by the town hall in Siena, Italy, with a castellated roof line instead of gables, and a single tower. Nashville schoolchildren raised money to buy a 2,000-lb. bronze bell for the rebuilt structure. In 1939, College Hall was renamed in memory of James H. Kirkland, Vanderbilt's second chancellor, who led the university through 44 formative years. Kirkland Hall underwent exterior and interior renovation in the 1980s and now houses the offices of the chancellor and general officers, deans of the College of Arts and Science and Graduate School, and other administrators.