Originally this four-story building housed the mechanical engineering department. The building is named for Walter Hines Page (1855-1918), a native of Cary, North Carolina, whose father established the towns of Cary and Aberdeen. As a member of the Watauga Club, Page is associated with the founding of NC State.

His editorial work was highly influential. As editor of The State Chronicle, Page expressed his support for industrial education, small farming, and the development of public schools.

After he moved to New York and London, Page spent 20 years as editor of the Forum, World’s Work, and Atlantic Monthly. Page also worked for Houghton Mifflin publishers and organized his own company, Doubleday, Page and Company. From 1913 to his death in 1918, he was ambassador to Great Britain, serving with distinction in maintaining close relations with the British government and aiding in wartime diplomacy.