Orange Alert

Syracuse University, College of Arts and Sciences. Return to home page. Syracuse University, College of Arts and Sciences. Return to home page.

Rocks of Ages

Campus buildings, especially the "Old Row," speak eloquently of provenance and endurance through their very stones.

Carnegie Library

Exterior facade of Carnegie Library.
Interior of Carnegie Library.

The Reading Room of Carnegie Library (opened in 1907 and restored in 2014) is embellished with intricate plaster-work details.

Architechtural detail of a pillar inside Carnegie Library.

A close-up of the intricate plaster-work.

Tolley Hall

Tolley Humanities Building
Exterior detail of Tolley Hall.

Terra cotta ornaments and red brick characterized the work of Archimedes Russell, architect of numerous buildings in Syracuse.

Detailed ornamental work on the exterior of Tolley Hall.

Detailed exterior of Tolley Hall. Find out more about the building's history at Tolley Hall Through the Years.

Hall of Languages

Hall of Languages springtime image
Fossils in the rocks of Hall of Languages.

Corals and other ancient fossils visible in its gray limestone remind us that this hilltop landmark traces its origins to the sea.

Fossils in the stones of Hall of Languages.

The building's limestone also shows features known as stylolites, a sedimentary structure consisting of a series of relatively small, toothlike columns of stone.

Holden Observatory

Holden Observatory.
A heart shaped fossil in the rocks of Holden Observatory.

A heart-shaped fossil within the limestone that makes up the Holden Observatory.

A worm-like fossil in the walls of Holden Observatory.

If you look closely, Holden Observatory's walls reveal various marine-type fossils.

We extend our gratitude to Daniel Curewitz, associate teaching professor in Earth and environmental sciences, who shared the unique history and origins of the rocks that built Syracuse University.