The Hall of Languages: Where It All Began

Built between 1871 and 1873, the Hall of Languages was the very first building on the Syracuse University campus, and for 14 years, it housed the entire University under one roof. Designed in the Second Empire style from locally quarried Onondaga limestone, it was praised by SU's first campus newspaper as "as fine a structure as the American college world can boast.” The building's brooding, Gothic silhouette is even said to have inspired the mansion in the 1960s TV show The Addams Family.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and still home to more than 2,200 students, the Hall of Languages is as much a symbol of SU as it is a place to learn. Still serving as the home of A&S to this day, when you walk through its doors, you're stepping into history.

Holden Observatory: The Building That Moved Four Inches Per Hour

Built in 1887 and named in memory of Charles Demerest Holden, an 1883 graduate whose father funded its construction, Holden Observatory was once considered one of the finest scientific facilities in the region. In 1991, when construction of Eggers Hall threatened its footprint, the 320-ton structure was physically relocated 200 feet from its original spot — traveling on twelve girders and eighty wheels at four inches per hour for over three days. Today, it houses the Patricia Meyers Druger Astronomy Learning Center and a working telescope manufactured in 1895, making it one of the most fascinating stops on campus.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library: Built by Students, For Everyone

What started as a single shelf of books in 1969 has grown into Syracuse University's only departmental library. Founded by students determined to make the Black experience a central part of academic life on campus, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library is now housed in 231 Sims Hall as a unit of the Department of African American Studies, with collections spanning books, journals, video and art, even including an original letter from Dr. King himself (that we recently got to see up close for ourselves). It's a powerful example of what student advocacy can build, and a resource that continues to serve the University community.

Mrs. Jennings' Wooden Leg: A Ph.D. Tradition Like No Other

Tucked inside the Physics Building is a shellacked wooden pole with an intriguing story behind it. Since the early 1950s, every student who earns a physics Ph.D. at SU has marked the occasion by strapping on a climbing belt, scaling the pole and affixing a small brass plaque bearing their name, date and specialty near the top. The tradition was dreamed up by departmental machinist Charlie Johnston in honor of Mrs. Jennings, the department secretary who kept everything running. It's the kind of thing you have to see to believe, and the kind of tradition that just might make you want to earn a plaque of your own.