diff --git a/webapp/config/web.xml b/webapp/config/web.xml
index 11e989210..4d3f1523b 100644
--- a/webapp/config/web.xml
+++ b/webapp/config/web.xml
@@ -332,7 +332,16 @@
     <servlet-name>AboutController</servlet-name>
     <url-pattern>/about</url-pattern>
   </servlet-mapping>
-  
+
+  <servlet>
+    <servlet-name>HomePageController</servlet-name>
+    <servlet-class>edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.freemarker.HomePageController</servlet-class>
+  </servlet>
+  <servlet-mapping>
+    <servlet-name>HomePageController</servlet-name>
+    <url-pattern>/index.jsp</url-pattern>
+  </servlet-mapping>
+    
   <servlet>
     <servlet-name>FreemarkerTestController</servlet-name>
     <servlet-class>edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.freemarker.TestController</servlet-class>
@@ -932,18 +941,6 @@
     <url-pattern>/TabEntitiesController</url-pattern>
   </servlet-mapping>
 
-  <!--  NOTICE: index.jsp is mapped to TabControler so that we 
-    		can have the urls that use to be in the system still work even 
-            though we no longer use index.jsp           -->
-  <servlet>
-    <servlet-name>TabController</servlet-name>
-    <servlet-class>edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.TabController</servlet-class>
-  </servlet>
-  <servlet-mapping>
-    <servlet-name>TabController</servlet-name>
-    <url-pattern>/index.jsp</url-pattern>
-  </servlet-mapping>
-
   <!-- <servlet>
        <servlet-name>EntityPropertyListController</servlet-name>     
        <servlet-class>edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.EntityPropertyListController</servlet-class>
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/FreemarkerHttpServlet.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/FreemarkerHttpServlet.java
index fc1c3b17c..bb96d973b 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/FreemarkerHttpServlet.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/FreemarkerHttpServlet.java
@@ -272,8 +272,17 @@ public class FreemarkerHttpServlet extends VitroHttpServlet {
         root.putAll(getRootValues(vreq));
 
         // Add the values that we got, and merge to the template.
-        body.putAll(bodyMap);
-        root.put("body", mergeMapToTemplate(values.getTemplateName(), body, config)); 
+        String bodyTemplate = values.getTemplateName();
+        String bodyString;
+        if (bodyTemplate != null) {
+            body.putAll(bodyMap);
+            bodyString = mergeMapToTemplate(bodyTemplate, body, config);            
+        } else {
+            // The subcontroller has not defined a body template. All markup for the page 
+            // is specified in the main page template.
+            bodyString = "";
+        }
+        root.put("body", bodyString);
         
         writePage(root, config, response);       
     }
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/HomePageController.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/HomePageController.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1e434347b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/HomePageController.java
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+package edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.freemarker;
+
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
+import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
+
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.beans.Portal;
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.VitroRequest;
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.freemarker.FreemarkerHttpServlet.ResponseValues;
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.freemarker.FreemarkerHttpServlet.Template;
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.freemarker.FreemarkerHttpServlet.TemplateResponseValues;
+
+public class HomePageController extends FreemarkerHttpServlet {
+
+    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+    private static final Log log = LogFactory.getLog(HomePageController.class);
+    private static final String PAGE_TEMPLATE = "page-home.ftl";
+//    private static final String BODY_TEMPLATE = "home.ftl";
+
+    @Override
+    protected ResponseValues processRequest(VitroRequest vreq) {       
+        Map<String, Object> body = new HashMap<String, Object>();      
+//        return new TemplateResponseValues(BODY_TEMPLATE, body);
+        return new TemplateResponseValues(null, body);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    protected String getTitle(String siteName) {
+        return siteName;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    protected String getPageTemplateName() {
+        return PAGE_TEMPLATE;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/home.ftl b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/page-home.ftl
similarity index 78%
rename from webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/home.ftl
rename to webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/page-home.ftl
index d6bd89b13..a4c9d5965 100644
--- a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/home.ftl
+++ b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/page-home.ftl
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 <#-- $This file is distributed under the terms of the license in /doc/license.txt$ -->
 
-<h1>Welcome to VIVO</h1>
\ No newline at end of file
+<#include "page.ftl">
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/page.ftl b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/page.ftl
index b02034976..03bc28fc6 100644
--- a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/page.ftl
+++ b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/page.ftl
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
             <div id="content">
                 <#-- We don't do title here because some pages don't get a title, or it may not be the same as the <title> text.
                 <h2>${title}</h2> -->                            
-                ${body} 
+                ${body!} 
             </div> <!-- content -->
         </div> <!-- contentwrap -->