University of Kansas Walking Tour- Jayhawk Boulevard and Memorial Drive

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Potter Lake began construction in 1910 and was dedicated in 1911 to State Senator and former member of the board of regents for the University of Kansas Thomas M. Potter. Potter lake now sits on the northern slope of memorial drive and has been a fixture in KU's landscape for more than a century. The lake has been reduced significantly in size as some initial measurements of the lake estimated it to be 2 acres across, between 16-18th deep, and hold roughly four million gallons of water.

2. World War II Memorial Campanile and Carillon

Built to honor the 277 students who died in World War II, the University of Kansas dedicated this Memorial Campanile on May 27, 1951. Inside the Campanile is a carillon, an instrument of 53 large bells which reside at the top of the tower. During KU’s graduation ceremony, students march through the opening of the Campanile on their way to Memorial Stadium where commencement takes place. Popular student legend says that if a student should walk under the Campanile prior to their graduation, they will fail to graduate in four years.

3. Spencer Museum of Art

Originally located in Spooner Hall, the University of Kansas's Spencer Museum of Art has been located in this purpose-built structure since 1978 thanks to a $4.6 million donation from Helen Foresman Spencer. The museum holds the most comprehensive art museum in Kansas with a collection of 45,000 works of art and cultural objects ranging from ancient cultures to the present. The collections include paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, furniture, ceramics, and photographs. The museum is known for its robust collections of Native American objects along with Medieval art; European and American paintings, sculpture, and prints; along with Japanese Edo-period painting and prints, and 20th-century Chinese paintings. The museum houses 8,500 ethnographic objects from the former Kansas Museum of Anthropology, which closed in 2007. The building is also home to the Murphy Library of Art and Architecture and the Kress Foundation Department of Art History.

4. Burning of the Kansas Memorial Union, April 20, 1970

On the evening of April 20, 1970, the Kansas Memorial Union sustained severe damage despite the efforts of firefighters and students to contain the flames. Officials determined that the fire was set intentionally and was caused by an explosion on the sixth floor. The fire took place during a turbulent spring in Lawrence, as many students were protesting the draft and the Vietnam War while racial tension also contributed to the country’s disquiet. These factors resulted in instances of civil unrest and protests at the University of Kansas and other educational institutions, but also a handful of incidents of arson and other forms of property destruction.

5. Smith Hall, University of Kansas

Dedicated October 8, 1967, Smith Hall contains KU’s religious studies department, the William J. Moore library, classrooms, and faculty offices. Smith Hall’s location was formerly occupied by Myers Hall, a privately owned building that housed the Bible Chair. In the 1960’s private groups and Christian denominations raised funds for the construction of a building to replace Myers Hall. Smith Hall was among the list of buildings described by the Board of Regents as “mission critical” to demolish in 2023, however its demolition has been placed on hold, and will be decided in the University of Kansas’s unreleased campus ‘Master Plan’.

6. Spooner Hall, University of Kansas

Spooner Hall was built in 1893-94 as the University of Kansas' first library. The money for its construction came from William Spooner, who wanted to construct the university's first purpose-built library and also a new chancellor's home for his nephew Francis H. Snow, who served as chancellor from 1890-1901 (Francis was his niece's husband). Spooner Hall was designed by Henry Van Brunt in the Romanesque Revival style and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Today, the building houses anthropology department's collections.

7. Danforth Chapel, University of Kansas

Dedicated on April 2, 1946, this nondenominational campus chapel is open for all who desire a moment of quiet meditation. The chapel was constructed towards the end of World War II using German POW labor from Camp Lawrence. Danforth Chapel has shifted from its Christian origin into an interfaith space, a reflection of larger changes at this and other universities since the postwar period. One of the most iconic campus landmarks, Danforth Chapel has become a sought-after venue for weddings among generations of University of Kansas alumni since its 1946 dedication.

8. Lippincott Hall

What is today Lippincott Hall was originally Green Hall and named in honor of inaugural law school dean James Woods Green who is immortalized in the statue at the front entrance. The building was constructed to accommodate a law school that had been using several buildings and saw increased enrollment required them. Construction on Green Hall began in 1904, and the building was dedicated on November 3, 1905. The building was rechristened Lippincott Hall in 1977 when the law school to the new Green Hall. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and contains the Wilcox Classics Museum.

9. Jimmy Green Statue

At the front of Lippincott Hall stands this statue, dedicated in 1924, depicting James Green and a student. James “Uncle Jimmy” Green was the esteemed first dean of the University of Kansas School of Law. After his death in 1919, a group of former students and friends sought a means to memorialize him, commissioning an architect in 1920. Uncle Jimmy’s statue was placed in front of, at that time, Green Hall, the residence of the University of Kansas School of Law. In 1977, the School of Law relocated to its present location in new Green Hall, leaving Uncle Jimmy and his student in front of the rechristened Lippincott Hall. The statue of a professor and student is the only one of its kind on any campus, and has become one of the iconic symbols of the University of Kansas.

10. Fraser Hall

The current Fraser Hall opened in 1965 and remains the iconic symbol of the central campus with its twin towers sitting on the second highest point of the campus and commanding the skyline of Mount Oread. At the time of its completion in 1873, the original Fraser Hall (then known simply as University Hall) was purported to be the largest educational building in the United States. Old Fraser was demolished in 1965 despite a strong protest movement.

11. The Pioneer statue

Monument to early white pioneers in Kansas. Sculpted by Frederick Hibbard, it depicts a white man working with a shovel. Physician and real estate speculator Simeon Bell purchased this sculpture, originally called "The Corn Planter," at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. He donated it to the University of Kansas in hopes that it would help future generations understand the challenges that early Kansas settlers faced. It remained in storage until 1916, when it became the first work of statuary installed on that campus. It has been moved several times as the campus has changed.

12. Watson Library

Named after university librarian Carrie Watson, who served the University of Kansas from 1887 to 1921, construction of this library began in the spring of 1923 and the building was dedicated on September 11, 1924. Watson replaced Spooner Hall as the University of Kansas’s main library. The 1920s saw substantial growth and soon the new library could not accommodate their growing collection or student body. Successive additions, renovations, and remodels added space, along with the construction of other libraries. In 1989, Anschutz Library was constructed to hold the University's science and engineering collections.

13. "Big Tooter" The KU Steam Whistle

Walking along Jayhawk Boulevard during the semester, it is a common occurrence to see freshmen leaping out of their shoes at the whistling of “Big Tooter.” For those not adapted to the noisy announcement of class times ending, the sound can come as quite a shock. Originally used as a morning alarm for students, on March 25, 1912 the steam whistle attached to KU’s power plant became a starter pistol for students ready to race out of classrooms across campus. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays “Big Tooter” erupts at 10 till; Tuesdays and Thursdays every hour and a half, with two off for lunch between 12:15-2:15.

14. Bailey Hall

Constructed in 1900, this building was first the home of the University of Kansas' Chemistry Department. It is the namesake of famed University of Kansas professor of chemistry E. H. S. Bailey, formally attaining that status in 1935 according to University of Kansas historical record. Bailey is most well-known for developing the "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" chant. The Chemistry department has long since vacated the building. In its place, departments with a focus in humanities and social sciences moved in. The building entered the Register of Kansas Historical Places and the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

15. Strong Hall, University of Kansas

Constructed in three phases over twelve years between 1911 and 1923, Strong Hall is a campus landmark and the main administration building at the University of Kansas. The building is named in honor of Frank Strong, who served as chancellor from 1902 to 1920. Strong was a proponent of the new building which would ease overcrowding at Fraser Hall, but the state legislature did not approve enough funding to complete Strong Hall in one phase. As a result, the east wing was completed in 1911, the west wing in 1918, and the center in 1923, three years after Strong's death. When the United States entered World War I, cadets trained at the construction site for the west wing, using the trenches created by construction crews to prepare for conditions they would face in Europe. Strong Hall has been on the National Register for Historic Places since 1988.

16. Wescoe Hall, University of Kansas

Dedicated on April 20, 1974, and named in honor of Chancellor W. Clarke Wescoe, who led the University of Kansas from 1960 to 1969, Wescoe Hall is the central hub for the humanities on the KU campus. Originally planned to be a 25-story skyscraper, the modernist concrete structure has inspired many campus legends and remains a center of campus activity. The contrast between the ambitious original plans and the modest four-story building reminds many of the transition seen at many American universities from an education centered on the liberal arts to investment in other fields. The building's location and design have led many to believe it was intended to be a parking garage, while others assume its Cold War-era origins suggest it was intended to double as a bomb shelter. The building replaced the original Haworth Hall and Robinson Gymnasium, which were demolished in 1969.

17. Budig Hall, University of Kansas

Dedicated October 31, 1997, Budig Hall contains three large lecture halls, several classrooms, and a computer lab. Budig Hall is located on the former site of Hoch Auditorium which hosted large events and was home to the University of Kansas men’s basketball team from 1928-1955. On June 15, 1991 a lightning bolt struck Hoch’s roof and the building was set aflame. All that survived of Hoch Auditorium was its front facade, which was incorporated into Budig Hall when the building was reconstructed thanks in part to $18 million from the state legislature. The building's name honors Chancellor Gene Budig who was supported the building’s reconstruction. The building offers a fusion of old and new and is a tangible metaphor for the resilience of the University of Kansas following tragedy.

18. Marvin Hall, University of Kansas

Dedicated February 25, 1910, Marvin Hall is home to the University of Kansas’s School of Architecture and Design. Marvin Hall housed KU’s School of Engineering until their move to Learned Hall in 1963. After the School of Engineering’s departure, a 1967 remodel outfitted Marvin Hall for the study of architecture. A 2014 renovation added the Marvin Hall Forum, an addition which blends the School of Architecture and Design’s innovation with the building’s Collegiate Gothic aesthetic.

19. Snow Hall, University of Kansas

Dedicated June 8, 1930, Snow Hall is home to the departments of mathematics and economics. The building shares the name of previous Snow Hall, which stood on the northwest corner of Watson Library’s lawn from 1886 to 1934. The buildings are named after Francis Snow, former KU chancellor and one of the first three University faculty members.

20. Korean War Memorial

Dedicated in 2005, the memorial incorporates the names of sixty-four members of the University of Kansas community who lost their lives in the Korean War. The monument features four intertwined cranes, each symbolizing the entities that were involved in the conflict — South Korea, North Korea, China and the United States The centerpiece of the monument is a six foot brass Korean Crane sculpture entitled, "Korean Cranes Rising" by the arttist Jon Havener.

21. Chi Omega Fountain

Dedicated on April 23, 1955, the Chi Omega Fountain stands at the western edge of Jayhawk Boulevard as a memorial to alumni of KU's Lambda Chapter. The fountain project began in October of 1952 as part of the sorority chapter’s 50th anniversary. About half of the cost of the fountain came from students and alumni. The limestone fountain has become a prominent campus landmark, given its location at the junction of Naismith Drive and Jayhawk Boulevard. The panels of the fountain were crafted by KU student James L. Bass and feature characters from Greek mythology.

22. California and Oregon Trails Memorial

A large boulder near the Chi Omega Fountain on the University of Kansas campus features a plaque and medallion commemorating the settlers who embarked westward on the Oregon Trail seeking lands and a new life. The trail began in Independence, Missouri, and passed through part of what is now the campus. The medallion depicts a family riding a wagon pulled by oxen. Hundreds of thousands of people used the trail from the 1830s through the late 1860s. Upon the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, the use of the trail declined.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

University of Kansas Walking Tour- Jayhawk Boulevard and Memorial Drive

Created by Clio Admin on August 22nd 2023, 2:30:38 am.

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Description

This short walk through the heart of the University of Kansas campus includes stops at some of the most iconic campus landmarks. To create a relatively short loop that starts at Potter Lake and ends near the Chi Omega Fountain, this tour does not include all of the campus buildings or landmarks, such as Allen Fieldhouse and Memorial Stadium. However, these landmarks can also be found in Clio. Rock Chalk!

Entries on This Tour

University of Kansas Walking Tour- Jayhawk Boulevard and Memorial Drive

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