15 College Campuses Designed By Famous Architects

June 15th, 2011

You see the green spaces, buildings and dorms of your college campus almost every day, but how much have you thought about how it all got there – and who laid it all out? In many cases, there are some big names behind all that scenery you take in as you walk to class, and even those who aren’t architecture buffs will recognize them. While bigger schools may have more resources, famous architecture isn’t solely limited to the Ivy Leagues and exorbitantly wealthy — colleges of every shape, size and affiliation have enviable buildings worth learning a little more about.

While not every school with a construct by a famous architect is included on this list, we’ve tried to hit the big ones that feature layouts by famous names or numerous buildings by the biggest and best talents. Even if your campus isn’t included on this list, you may just get inspired to do a little research and find out just who did help construct those hallowed halls you call home today.

1. University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson: Thomas Jefferson wasn’t just a Founding Father, the author of The Declaration of Independence and our third president. Jefferson also had a passion for architecture, designing not only his own home (Monticello), but the campus and buildings of the University of Virginia as well. His design revolves around the idea of an "academical village" in which neoclassical buildings surround a large, centralized green area. While some of Jefferson’s creations have been remodeled or rebuilt (most notably the rotunda after a fire in 1885) the vast majority of the campus is still just as he envisioned it.
2. Stanford University, Frederick Law Olmsted: If you’ve ever taken a stroll in Central Park or enjoyed the magnificence of Niagara Falls in the adjoining state park, then you’ve likely seen the work of Frederick Law Olmsted. He was a pioneer in the field of landscape architecture, seeking to imbue the urban environment with a natural refuge from the dirt, noise and hustle of the city streets that all citizens could enjoy. Of course, Olmsted didn’t just design parks – he had his hand in planning a number of college campuses as well, most notably that of Stanford University. While it has acquired some new buildings in the years since Olmsted first laid everything out, he is responsible for the buildings that line the inner quad. Olmsted modeled his layout on St. Peter’s Basilica, creating a compact campus where dorms lie in close proximity to the public quadrangles and green space, as well as classrooms.
3. University of St. Thomas, Philip Johnson: Influential American architect Philip Johnson not only helped write the book on modern architecture (literally, it’s called International Style), he also had a hand in designing the campus of Houston’s University of St. Thomas. Laying out the school in a square format, Johnson planned an academic mall with buildings flanking each side and a courtyard in the center. His most notable work on campus is the Chapel of St. Basil, located at the opposite end of the academic mall from the library to represent the dialogue between faith and reason. At the time, the architect was a controversial choice to design a religious school’s campus and its accordant chapel, as he was openly homosexual and more than likely an atheist. That hubbub has died down, however, and now Johnson’s buildings are appreciated as great examples of his work.
4. Florida Southern College, Frank Lloyd Wright: Forget about Oak Park if you’re a Frank Lloyd Wright fan — Florida Southern College has the largest single-site collection of his architecture anywhere in the world. The collection of buildings is referred to as the "Child of the Sun," and visitors and students alike are welcome to take in the work he designed specifically for the school. Using the prairie style he helped to define, Wright was responsible for designing all of the original dorms, as well as a fair number of the fraternity and sorority houses. He also had a hand in creating numerous other academic buildings and open spaces on campus, but his most iconic work at FSU is the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel. While the outside of the building may look unfinished to some, few can deny the beauty of the light inside, refracted through a number of colored blocks that play on the walls in a thoroughly modern taken on stained glass windows.
5. Luther College, Jens Jensen: Landscape architect Jens Jensen perservered to make a name for himself in America, arriving with little money and working as a public laborer as he slowly realized his true potential. By the time he arrived at Luther College, Jensen was already one of the most notable landscape architects in the world, having designed the Indiana Dunes, Lincoln Memorial Gardens and many parts of Chicago’s park system. Working with the native species and landscape of the upper Midwest, Jensen created green spaces on the campus with dramatic arranges of flora, rolling hills and a natural touch that made it seem as if the plants had chosen the locations of their own accord. Having been restored in recent years, his landscape work is still a marvel for students looking to take a leisurely stroll at the school today.
6. University of Cincinnati, Michael Graves, Frank Gehry, Peter Eisenman: Some colleges collect rare books or paintings, but the University of Cincinnati turns its attention towards architectural constructs. Under a the directive of a new master plan created in 1989, the school began bringing in some of the top architects and campus planners in the world to create buildings and open spaces. The result is a collection of world-class architecture few other schools can match. Michael Graves, a UC alumnus, was one of the first to take on a building on campus, designing the Engineering Research Center that opened in 1994. Other notables include the Vontz Center for Molecular Studies designed by Frank Gehry, the Aronoff Center for Art and Design created by Peter Eisenman and the College Conservatory of Music by Henry Cobb.
7. Illinois Institute of Technology, Mies van der Rohe, Rem Koohaas, and Helmut Jahn: Chicago natives and architecture buffs alike are no doubt familiar with the numerous works of Mies van der Rohe that dot the skyline. Orderly and (to some) almost institutional in their functionality, his works have played a major role in city life both downtown and on the nearby campus of the IIT. After WWII, the school was looking to expand, and hired Mies to design a new campus. The result was a large, open campus dotted with streamlined and modern buildings– in stark contrast to the crowded surrounding neighborhoods. Over the next decades, other big names would design buildings on campus. Rem Koolhaas’s McCormick Tribune Campus Center was finished in 2003, followed by Helmut Jahn’s State Street Village (a dormitory) and S.R. Crown Hall in 2005.
8. University of Mary, Marcel Breuer: The rural campus of the University of Mary sits just south of Bismarck, ND, and its setting perhaps makes modernist architect Marcel Breuer a strange choice to design many of the university’s main buildings, as he is better known for his Brutalist urban works. Yet Breuer was hand-picked by the Benedictine Sisters operating the college, and they were delighted when he accepted the commission. His works on the campus are built of native prairie stone and concrete, replicating the style he had become famous for and using light and shadow to create playful and striking structures. The college has made an effort throughout the years to keep to Breuer’s style in new construction so that everything feels cohesive and every bit the "jewel on the prairie" that Breuer described it.
9. Duke University, Julian Abele: The campus of Duke University is often referred to by students and faculty as the "Gothic Wonderland" because of the large number of buildings designed in the imposing style. Who do they have to thank for that? Notable architect Julian Abele, who was responsible for the design and construction of most of the school’s west campus. This man stands out not only due to his work at Princeton, but because he was also one of the first prominent African-American architects. The building for which Abele held the greatest esteem was the Duke University Chapel, distinguished by large stones, pointed arches, ribbed vaults and a towering facade that rises over 210 feet.
10. Concordia Theological Seminary, Eero Saarinen: Saarinen designed a great deal of architecture and furniture during his lifetime, but is perhaps best known for the iconic chair that bears his name. Yet his work on college campuses shouldn’t be overlooked. Saarinen worked on buildings at the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan, MIT and Morse College to name a few, but some of his most distinctive works lie on this small school’s campus. Saarinen designed much of the original campus’s layout and architecture, including the main administrative building, the chapel and the dormitories. Everything was laid out to give it a communal feel, with dorms grouped around and surrounding the academic buildings – all done in a functionalist, modern style.
11. Union College, Joseph-Jacques Ramee: While we might not know his name as well today, Ramee was a distinguished architect, interior designer and landscaper in his time. Much of his work is done in the Neoclassical style, and Union College’s campus is no exception. Ramee worked on the concepts for over a year before construction began, and in 1814, the Union College campus became the first comprehensively planned college in the United States. Everything from buildings to pathways was laid out in great detail. Buildings were arranged to form a large, open courtyard providing a scenic view of the Mohawk River Valley. At the center of it all is the rotunda. Much of Ramee’s campus design was not completed during his lifetime, but the college continued to add piece by piece throughout the years, including the Nott Memorial, a huge rotunda that remains Union’s most iconic building today.
12. Skidmore College, Lo-Yi Chan: Even mature schools can’t stop planning new campuses and expansions. When Skidmore College set its sights on getting bigger and better with age, they brought in a big name to help them lay out their new campus. Lo-Yi Chan, a protege of famed architect I.M. Pei, has created the school’s ambitious expansion that they hope to realize by 2050. The plans call for a new academic quad, on-campus apartments, new service buildings and additions to existing art and science buildings. The ultimate goal of Chan’s work is to build a space that’s friendly to pedestrian traffic, improves the facilities and preserves a much-contested area of natural woods just north of campus. Since everything was created in 2007, the school has built the Zankel Music Center and will be continuing construction of several new elements on to help realize Chan’s master plan for reinvention.
13. University of Massachusetts, Marcel Breuer, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, Kevin Roche, Hideo Sasaki: While many might not think of this East Coast college as a haven for modern architecture, students and visitors will see numerous buildings designed by big names in architecture and landscape design. Instead of the typical ivy-covered walls, UMass Amherst’s grounds boast concrete creations from some of the most important architects of the 20th century. The campus center and hotel were designed by Marcel Breuer; the stadium by Skidmore, Owing and Merrill; the Fine Arts Center by Kevin Roche; and master plan by noted landscape designer Hideo Sasaki. Students might long for those ivy-covered walls in lieu of the concrete buildings that dot campus today, but when they were built, they were considered the height of art and engineering. Now, these constructs provide a rich history of not only the school’s development, but of life, aesthetics and architecture as well.
14. Chandigarh College of Architecture, Le Corbusier: Even though it’s the only school on this list not located in the United States, we couldn’t resist including this strange example of modern architecture. Part of the Chandigarh Experiment spearheaded by famous architect and artist Le Corbusier, the school was an integral part of his idea to creating a city filled with modern, highly functionalist buildings. He not only designed the layout of the collegeikiped but the city itself, dividing it into sectors and applying his theories about urban planning. The school was originally created to help impart these architectural theories into students, who would then educate successors about the principles and concepts central to the city’s use. Today, Chandigarh College still recognizes its connection to Le Corbusier, celebrating "Corbu Day" on the architect’s birthday each year.
15. Princeton University, Ralph Adams Cram: While you might not know the name of Ralph Adams Cram, in his time he was a big deal when it came to campus and religious architecture. He designed hundreds of schools, campuses, colleges, businesses and churches, including a great number of buildings on Princeton’s campus. While the main quad was in existence before Cram’s time, during his time as supervising architect he planned and watched the construction of much of the school’s graduate college. He is most noted on campus for his work on the Princeton University Chapel. Done in Cram’s characteristic Gothic style, the cathedral is one of the largest on any university campus in the world.

Taken from Accredited Online Colleges