Campus Photo Gallery
The Evanston campus is approximately 12 miles north of downtown Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan.
In 1993, President Emeritus Arnold Weber had the idea to build an official entrance to the university, now known as The Arch. In a new tradition, incoming freshmen are led by the Wildcat Marching Band in a March through the Arch to kickoff the new school year.
University Hall is the oldest building on campus, built in 1868. Back then it housed all university classes, the library, a chemical lab, a chapel, two society rooms, and a fourth-floor natural history museum. Today it is home to the English Department, the Undergraduate Program Center and faculty offices.
The Norris University Center is the heart of student activity on campus. All members of the Northwestern campus community come to Norris to eat, study, see a movie, check out the art gallery, and much more. Students can even take a lap around its ice rink during the winter months.
When the campus began to outgrow its land holdings in the 1950s, University President J. Roscoe Miller initiated an expansion eastward into Lake Michigan. The lakefill provided the additional space necessary for buildings such as the Norris University Center (pictured), the University Library, Frances Searle Building, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall and the James L. Allen Center.
Students have easy access to relaxing beaches and adventurous water sports with a campus on the shores of Lake Michigan. They can even take lessons in activities like sailing, windsurfing, and paddle boarding.
The Rock, a huge quartzite boulder in the middle of campus, is home to one of Northwestern's best-known traditions. Students take turns painting the rock with slogan and colors representing their group, and they must "guard" it for 24 hours prior to their turn.
Deering Meadow provides more than two acres of green space between Deering Library and Sheridan Road. It was the site of the first Northwestern football field and has long been a popular place for informal recreation and University gatherings.
The Arthur Rubloff Building on Northwestern’s Chicago campus offers spectacular views of Lake Michigan with its glass and steel design. It houses various departments and offices of the Northwestern Law School and Feinberg School of Medicine.
Both the Evanston and Chicago campuses are on the shores of Lake Michigan, the only Great Lake located entirely within the United States.
The McCormick Tribune Center, which opened in fall 2002, is home to the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. It houses state-of-the-art broadcast, multimedia, and new media facilities.
Several hundred varieties of trees, grasses, shrubs, and flowers can be found on the 240 acres that make up the Evanston campus.
The Alice Millar Chapel & Religious Center is a hub of religious and ceremonial activities on campus. It houses a 100-rank Aeolian Skinner organ and is distinguished by its magnificent stained-glass windows and a 151-foot spire.
Lutkin Hall is among the campus venues that hosts numerous orchestral, wind ensemble, choral, opera, chamber, jazz, contemporary, brass, and percussion concerts each year.
The current Patten Gym was built in 1939/1940 and replaced the original Patten Gym built in 1909. The first NCAA Men's Basketball tournament was held in the original Patten Gym in 1939.
Located in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center of Northwestern offers state of the art facilities for Feinberg School of Medicine researchers.
The oldest building on campus, University Hall, built in 1868, pictured with its modern neighbor, Mary Jane McMillen Crowe Hall, built in 2003.
Rebecca Crown Memorial Center opened in 1968 and serves as Northwestern’s central administrative building. Its clock tower is a hallmark of campus, particularly in the fall, when it glows purple after football victories.
Annie May Swift Hall, originally constructed in 1895, is one of the oldest buildings on campus and an Evanston landmark. Philanthropist and meatpacking magnate Gustavus F. Swift provided funds for the building in the name of his daughter, Annie May, a Northwestern student who died in 1889. It is home to the School of Communication.
The Evanston and Chicago campuses enjoy all four seasons. With average temperatures below freezing in the winter months, boots and parkas are necessities of campus life.
The Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center, opened in 2005, provides students with a collaborative environment to exchange ideas and encourage innovation. It is the first Northwestern University building to achieve silver-level certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.
The John Evans Alumni Center serves as the home of the Northwestern Alumni Association, constituent organizations, and alumni visiting Northwestern. The home was built in 1880 and purchased by Rufus C. Dawes, brother of former Vice President of the United States, Charles G. Dawes, in the early 1900s. Northwestern acquired the house in 1943.
The Shakespeare Garden, completed in 1920, houses flowers, shrubs, trees, and herbs mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. It is maintained by members of the Garden Club of Evanston, many of whom are Northwestern graduates. It is a popular site for marriage proposals, weddings, and photo sessions.
The Charles Deering Library, built in the Collegiate Gothic style in 1933, houses University Archives, government publications and maps, the music library, special collections, and the art collection.
Northwestern University’s Law School is consistently named among the top law schools in the country. Its atrium on the Chicago campus is a place to meet, study, and socialize.
Tall, leafy trees have long been a staple of the Evanston campus. In 1853, the site of Northwestern University was chosen for its impressive oak grove, and many of these oaks still stand today.
Although University Hall, the oldest building on campus, has experienced many renovations over the years, much attention has been put into maintaining its original aesthetics.
The lakefill on the Evanston campus offers picture-perfect scenes at sunset.