Northwestern University campus tour: Evanston's lakeside campus

Founded in 1851, Northwestern University lines the shore of Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois, the first suburb north of Chicago. Few American campuses have a setting like it: a long, narrow strip of lawns and stone buildings with open water on one side, a lively small city on the other, and the Chicago skyline on the horizon. This guide follows the campus from south to north, explains how student life is organised, and covers the practical side of a visit.

The shape of the campus

The Evanston campus runs for roughly a mile between Sheridan Road and the lake. It helps to think of it in three parts:

South campus: the historic buildings, the humanities, music, theatre and the art museum, a few minutes' walk from downtown Evanston.
The middle: the libraries, the student centre and the Lakefill, the part of campus built out into the lake.
North campus: engineering and the sciences, the sports centre and much of the student housing.

Northwestern also has a second campus in central Chicago, home to the medical and law schools.

The Arch and University Hall

The usual way in is through the Arch, a stone and iron gateway where Sheridan Road meets Chicago Avenue. Each autumn new students march through it together at the start of their first year, cheered on by families and older students.

Just inside stands University Hall, opened in 1869 and the oldest building on campus. With its pale limestone walls, pointed tower and spires, it looks like a small castle, and it still holds classrooms and offices today.

The Rock

In the small plaza beside University Hall sits the Rock, a boulder that began as a gift from the class of 1902 and has since disappeared under countless layers of paint. Student groups repaint it to advertise events, mark anniversaries or simply leave a message, and by tradition they guard it for a full day beforehand to claim their turn. Whatever you see on it will probably be gone by next week.

Deering Library and the University Library

A short walk north, Deering Library looks out over a broad lawn towards Sheridan Road. It opened in 1933 and was inspired by King's College Chapel in Cambridge; its architect, James Gamble Rogers, also designed much of Yale. Stained glass, carved wood and stone give its reading rooms the atmosphere of a much older building.

Directly behind it, and joined to it, is the main University Library, added in 1970: three concrete towers radiating from a central core. Between them the two buildings sum up the campus, where Collegiate Gothic and bold modernism sit side by side.

The Lakefill

In the 1960s the university ran out of room and did something unusual: it built new land out into Lake Michigan. The result, known as the Lakefill, greatly enlarged the campus. Today it holds a lagoon, playing fields, the student centre and several newer buildings, and its shoreline path is where students run, cycle and watch the sun come up.

Walk to the water's edge for two things. One is the view south to the towers of downtown Chicago, about twenty kilometres away. The other is the line of boulders along the shore, which students have painted with names, dates and messages over many years.

North campus and Tech

North of the library, the Technological Institute, known simply as Tech, is the home of engineering and many of the sciences. It opened in the early 1940s and is one of the largest buildings on campus; prospective engineers will want to see its plaza and the newer research buildings that have grown up around it. Nearby are the small, formal Shakespeare Garden and the sports centre on the lakeshore.

Student life

Northwestern runs on a quarter system, with three main terms in the academic year, so the pace is quick. Undergraduates live in a mix of residence halls and residential colleges spread across the campus: the south end is closer to downtown Evanston and the arts buildings, the north end to Tech and the sports facilities.

The university is especially known for journalism, theatre and music, and student productions, concerts and publications fill the calendar. Its teams, the Wildcats, play in purple; the main stadium and arena are on Central Street, a short ride north-west of the main campus.

Evanston and Chicago

Downtown Evanston begins at the south-west edge of campus, with cafés, restaurants and shops within a few blocks. It feels like a small city in its own right rather than a suburb. Central Chicago is close enough for an evening out, an internship or a museum visit. If your trip includes the South Side, see our University of Chicago campus tour.

Arranging a visit

Like most universities, Northwestern typically offers campus tours and admission presentations for prospective students from its visitor centre at the south end of campus, and the grounds and lakefront paths are open to walk on your own. Schedules vary through the year, so check the university's official visitor page for what is currently available.

Getting there and around

By air: Chicago's two main airports both serve the area; the larger one, to the north-west of the city, is the closer of the two.
By train from Chicago: the Purple Line of the city's elevated railway and a suburban rail line both stop in downtown Evanston, a short walk from the south end of campus. Other Purple Line stations sit further north along the campus.
By car: Sheridan Road runs the length of the campus. Visitor parking is in designated car parks; follow the signs.
On foot: allow about half an hour to walk from the Arch to the north end, more with stops.

Areas families usually choose

Downtown Evanston: the most convenient, with several hotels within walking distance of campus.
Central Chicago: the widest choice by far, and easy to combine with sightseeing; allow for the train ride north.
Near the north-western airport or in Skokie: practical if you are driving or have an early flight.

Tips for a smoother day

Start at the Arch, walk north past the Rock and Deering Library, cut out to the Lakefill, and return through downtown Evanston.
Bring a windproof layer: the lakefront is noticeably colder and breezier than the streets inland, and winters are harsh.
Check the university's visitor page again shortly before you travel, as arrangements change.

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Cover photo: Madcoverboy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons