Every Campus Has Buildings to Learn From. Here Are Some of the Best.

American college campuses are full of memorable buildings — Jefferson’s Rotunda at the U. of Virginia, Charles Z. Klauder’s Heinz Chapel at the U. of Pittsburgh, Eero Saarinen’s Ingalls Rink at Yale U. You could spend a month listing them and still miss many favorites. Often, though, the lessons that stick with you and prove useful over the long term come from buildings that aren’t campus icons, and campuses that aren’t Jefferson’s. I’ve been writing about campus architecture for more than 30 years now, and I’ve probably been on as many campus tours as almost anyone. But some buildings, and some campuses, stick in my mind because they’ve taught me something that seems universal.