Stamped!

Sko Buffs

University of Colorado Boulder

CU Boulder's look, called Tuscan Vernacular Revival, came from architect Charles Klauder: rough local sandstone walls, red tile roofs and limestone trim.

  • 5Buildings
  • 2Traditions
  • 1876Oldest · Norlin Quadrangle
  • 1954Newest · Cheyenne Arapaho Hall

Planning the visit

  • Fly intoDenver International Airport (DEN)

    Denver International, southeast of Boulder, is the main airport for the region. RTD's AB bus runs between the airport and Boulder.

  • Getting aroundWalking / RTD Buses

    The main campus is walkable. RTD buses, including the HOP circulator, link campus with downtown Boulder, and regional buses run to Denver.

  • Colors and teams

    The school colors are silver, gold and black, and the teams are the Buffaloes.

5 buildings to stamp

  1. Norlin Quadrangle
    Photo: Gribeco, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Norlin Quadrangle

    University of Colorado campus, Boulder, CO

    The historic core of campus, with twelve buildings around a central lawn, including Old Main of 1876, Macky Auditorium and Norlin Library. Charles Klauder designed many of them in the sandstone and red tile style that marks the campus.

    Built
    1876
    Architect
    Charles Klauder and others
    Style
    Tuscan Vernacular Revival / Collegiate Gothic
    Today
    Campus Quadrangle
  2. Henderson Building (Museum of Natural History)
    Photo: Gaurav, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Henderson Building (Museum of Natural History)

    15th St and Broadway, Boulder, CO

    Charles Klauder designed the museum's building, completed in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration and named for first curator Junius Henderson in 1951. It holds more than five million specimens and artifacts.

    Built
    1937
    Architect
    Charles Klauder
    Style
    Tuscan Vernacular Revival
    Today
    Natural History Museum
  3. Sommers–Bausch Observatory
    Photo: MECU (MECU≈talk), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Sommers–Bausch Observatory

    University of Colorado campus, Boulder, CO

    Built from 1950 to 1953 in an adapted rural Italian style to match the campus. It is the teaching and research observatory of the astrophysics department.

    Built
    1953
    Style
    Tuscan Vernacular Revival
    Today
    Astronomical Observatory
  4. Folsom Field
    Photo: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Folsom Field

    2400 Colorado Ave, Boulder, CO

    This horseshoe-shaped football stadium opened in 1924 as Colorado Stadium. Its field sits at 5,360 feet, more than a mile above sea level.

    Built
    1924
    Architect
    Waldo E. Brockway
    Today
    Football Stadium
  5. Cheyenne Arapaho Hall
    Photo: Kvng, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Cheyenne Arapaho Hall

    University of Colorado campus, Boulder, CO

    This four-story residence hall on the south side of Farrand Field was completed in 1954. In 1989 it was renamed for the two tribes whose villages were attacked at the Sand Creek Massacre.

    Built
    1954
    Architect
    Trautwein & Howard; Peterson & Linstedt
    Stories
    4
    Today
    Residence Hall

2 traditions to check off

Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.

  • Norlin Library Inscriptions

    Two inscriptions by President George Norlin are carved on the library's west face over Norlin Quadrangle: "Who knows only his own generation remains always a child" and, over the door, "Enter here the timeless fellowship of the human spirit." Read them from the quad.

  • CU Heritage Center in Old Main

    Old Main, the first building on campus, houses the CU Heritage Center, whose galleries tell the university's history. Visit to see the stories of CU's past.

Know University of Colorado Boulder well?

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