It’s that time of the year when more family, prospective students, and friends will be coming to visit. What could be better than giving a quick, free, and informative tour of the University to convince them you haven’t spent the past 5 months in seclusion? So I give you a quick tour of just a few of the great things on campus and some fun information!

Maxwell/Eggers – I’m not going to run through what we already know here, the MPA/IR programs are some of the best in the country, etc.

Tolley – The “smaller castle” to couple with Crouse (AKA Hogwarts). Tolley was the third building on campus, after the Hall of Languages, and was the original campus library followed by the original administration building. During the Vietnam War, a small group of students took part in a “Teach In” where they locked themselves in the building. Since it was the administration building at the time the University was forced to close and cancel classes for a few days. Prof. Bennett, who hosted the “Teach In” still teaches history at Maxwell. Getting architectural, the roof is made completely of slate. The heavy slate roof was causing the building to collapse under the weight. When renovations began in 2005, there were no blueprints found for the building and demolition was not an option as the building had been placed on the national register of historic buildings. The solution was to selectively drill into the sides of the building to find the support beams. If you walk around the building you can see clusters of newer bricks where this drilling occurred.

Hall of Languages – The first building on campus, it was built in 1873 and is the home of the College of Arts and Sciences. The building was renovated in 1979 and an additional floor was added. However, the windows were not rearranged on the building so you can see the floor through certain windows. Realizing their error, the University responded by tinting the windows.

Carrier Dome – Replacing the former Archibold Bowl, the Dome (AKA the Loud House) was built in 1980. It can hold around 50,000 people for football games and almost 35,000 for basketball games. If you’re in the mood for some fun stomp your feet between the vertical concrete slabs on the outside of the Dome and you will hear a laser noise. If you are attending an event in the Dome, occasionally, someone will open the emergency exit doors. Since the roof is held up with pressure, walking through the exit door will quite literally push you out.

Holden Observatory – Did you know we had one?! It is the second oldest building on campus, but the coolest thing about the observatory is that it once stood where Eggers now lies. In 1991, the observatory was moved from that position (to make room for Eggers) at a rate of 4 inches an hour for three days to its current home.

Please let me know what you guys think of this! Is this helpful, is it lame? I hope everyone can get to know a bit more about their school and the history that is all around. Looking forward to your feedback. Happy Friday!