Home of the Maroons
University of Chicago
The campus mixes two big ideas: Gothic quadrangles and some of the boldest modern buildings in America, from Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House to Helmut Jahn's glass-domed Mansueto Library.
- 6Buildings
- 4Traditions
- 1910Oldest · Robie House
- 2011Newest · Mansueto Library
Campus map and Look Around
Tap a numbered pin to see that building from the street with Apple Look Around.
Planning the visit
- Fly intoChicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
Midway is the closer of Chicago's two airports to Hyde Park, on the city's South Side. O'Hare International (ORD) handles far more long-haul flights but is a longer trip across the city.
- Getting aroundWalking / UChicago Shuttles / Metra
The main quadrangles are compact enough to walk. Metra Electric trains run between Hyde Park and downtown Chicago, and university shuttles loop the neighborhood.
- Colors and teams
Campus has its own shorthand: the Regenstein Library is simply 'the Reg', and the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures was known for a century as the Oriental Institute.
6 buildings to stamp
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Photo: Matthew Bisanz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Rockefeller Chapel
5850 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637
Bertram Goodhue's soaring Collegiate Gothic chapel was built between 1925 and 1928 without structural steel. Around 70 sculptures are carved into its stone, and its carillon tower is, by covenant, the tallest building on campus.
- Built
- 1928
- Architect
- Bertram Goodhue
- Style
- Collegiate Gothic
- Height
- 61 m (200 ft)
- Today
- University Chapel
-
Photo: Teemu08, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Robie House
5757 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637
Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie-style masterpiece hugs the ground with long brick bands and roofs cantilevered far out over its terraces. Completed in 1910, it helped popularize picture windows and attached garages in American homes.
- Built
- 1910
- Architect
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Style
- Prairie School
- Stories
- 3
- Today
- House Museum
-
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Regenstein Library
1100 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637
'The Reg' is the university's main library and one of its great Brutalist statements, designed by Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. It opened in 1970 and holds one of the largest collections of books in the world.
- Built
- 1970
- Architect
- Walter Netsch (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill)
- Style
- Brutalist
- Today
- University Library
-
Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Mansueto Library
1100 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637
Helmut Jahn's elliptical glass dome sits right beside the Regenstein. Readers work under the glass while millions of volumes are stored in stacks fifty feet underground, fetched by robotic cranes in about three minutes.
- Built
- 2011
- Architect
- Helmut Jahn
- Style
- Contemporary
- Today
- University Library
-
Photo: The original uploader was Salsb at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures
1155 E 58th St, Chicago, IL 60637
Long known as the Oriental Institute, this Gothic Revival building was dedicated in 1931 and carries ancient Near Eastern motifs in its stonework. Inside stand a 40-ton lamassu from Khorsabad and a monumental statue of King Tutankhamun.
- Built
- 1931
- Architect
- Mayers Murray & Phillip
- Style
- Gothic Revival
- Today
- Research Institute and Museum
-
Photo: MLHalsey, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Ida Noyes Hall
1212 E 59th St, Chicago, IL 60637
Built in 1916 as a clubhouse and gymnasium for the university's women, this limestone Neo-Gothic hall is full of fireplaces, ornate plaster ceilings and rich wood paneling.
- Built
- 1916
- Architect
- Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge
- Style
- Neo-Gothic
- Stories
- 3
- Today
- Student Center
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4 traditions to check off
Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.
Reynolds Club Seal
Legend says a student who steps on the University seal in the lobby of the Reynolds Club won't graduate in four years. Visitors can see the seal in the student union lobby and decide whether to test the myth.
Cobb Gate Gargoyles
By campus lore, the grotesques on Cobb Gate stand for the admissions officers and the climb of first- to fourth-year students, with the fourth-year at the top. Visitors can walk through the gate and look up to spot each figure.
Botany Pond
Botany Pond in Hull Court is a beloved campus spot where visitors come to see the ducklings and turtles. Stop by the pond for a quiet look at the wildlife and gardens.
Rockefeller Chapel Carillon
The 72-bell carillon at the top of Rockefeller Chapel is played in a daily recital, and student guild members give weekly concerts with bell-tower tours beforehand for anyone interested. Visitors can listen from the quad or join a tour.
Know University of Chicago well?
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Stamp all 6 on your visit.
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