The new University was built on a land grant from entrepreneur Marshall Field, who owned land in the Hyde Park and Kenwood neighborhoods. The founders wanted the new school to feel elite and long-established, so they used Gothic architecture to imply a greater degree of antiquity than the University really possessed. The first two floors are comprised of classrooms and administrative offices where students attend writing workshops, get help from a tutor, or meet friends and faculty at the Café. The fire of 1871 marked Chicago architecture profoundly, as building code changes forbade the use of wood frame houses within what was known as the “fire limits.” If you’re interested in delving deep into theory, bookishness, and the most hardcore of academic materials, UChicago … Like a tiered wedding cake, the center’s seven stories are set back in succession, with two placed underground, to … As the campus grew, the University continued to view architecture as a powerful force … Sign up for email notification of new releases in your field. Harper Half-Pint. Buildings in Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, Tudor, Classical, Prairie, and Arts and Crafts styles appeared side by side. An excerpt from Chicago's Famous Buildings: 5th edition by Franz Schulze and Kevin Harrington. Also available on website: online catalogs, secure online ordering, excerpts from new books. UChicago is a rigorous, top-tier school located in beautiful Hyde Park, Chicago. All along 60th Street, SSA's neighbors represent a "Who's Who" of modern architecture, including the Law School, designed by Eero Saarinen and the New Graduate Residence Hall, designed by Edward Durrel Stone. On July 9, 1890, the University’s founders defined what they believed would build an enduring legacy: a commitment to rigorous academics for people of all backgrounds, including “opportunities for all departments of higher education to persons of both sexes on equal terms.”. Harper Memorial Library, with its elegant Gothic architecture, serves as a campus landmark for many. The University of Chicago is known for its intellectually rigorous core curriculum, beautiful gothic architecture, and quirky application supplement (more on those oddball essay prompts below).It’s a nerd paradise where the blustery Chicago winters are the perfect excuse to stay inside with a nice book or ten. Like any 19 th century boomtown, Chicago’s homes were built in a hodgepodge of styles and designs. The University of Chicago: The Early Years. UChicago’s neo-Gothic architecture set the precedent for what campus architecture should look like and for years afterward was emulated in campus designs across the country. It’s famed for its research emphasis, neo-gothic architecture, and school of economics. The Law School was originally located inside one of these Gothic buildings, Stuart Hall, until it became clear in the 1950s that more space was needed. The architecture that was chosen for the south side of the midway was intended to contrast the rest of the University's Gothic style. Our Building The modernist look of the Law School, designed by architect Eero Saarinen, complements and contrasts with the nineteenth-century Gothic buildings that populate much of the rest of campus. For $125 million the GSB got its state-of-the-art facility, and the neighborhood got an addition that gives different schools of architecture—and thought—room to coexist. When they adopted Gothic architecture, they instantly conveyed the sense of history, seriousness, and intellectual fortitude found at universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.