Chris, Shira, Kristina

In our first photo, we captured the front of the Benjamin Building. The Benjamin Building is the home of the College of Education. No wonder most education students and peers sometimes feel like they live there. One of the most fortunate things about the location of the Benjamin Building is its adjacent location to Lot 1, where most of us are required to park. Lot 1 is located directly behind the Benjamin Building from this shown perspective. The cars displayed in the photo show that there are parking meters out front, and there is often times noisy din that becomes distracting when many of us are in class.

Our second photo was taken in front of a brand-new metal formation of a terrapin, our school mascot (Go Terps!). Some say that the way the plants were planted inside this formation, the structure appears to be a huge Chia-Pet. This structure is very new, so there is not much history to be described, but it was located in a high traffic area, so many students and visitors are likely to notice this piece of art.

Our third photo was beautifully captured in front of Cole Field House. Before the Comcast Center was built, this building was home for the basketball team’s home games. Now it is simply a building where major events (such as summer camps, orientation gatherings, alumni events, graduations, etc.) can take place. When you walk inside, the building looks old, dingy, and relatively cold. It even smells of history in the making. Unlike the Comcast Center, it definitely shows its age as the top dome presents faded green panels with chipped paint. This building even houses many offices and classrooms throughout the various semesters, so it definitely has not been forgotten.

Our fourth photo, taken in front of Dorchester Hall, displays one of the many residential halls located on campus. More specifically, it is located on North Hill, and houses many sophomores and juniors who are striving to be writers. This hall is also known as the “Writing House.” As one can see from our photo, the vegetation around the building is well taken care of. The lawn was freshly mowed, and still smelled of fresh cut grass. In the fall, the campus always appears well groomed because so many students are visiting for tours, and hoping to turn in their undergraduate applications by December 1^st. Oh yes, Dorchester Hall also houses the “sample dorm” that is decked out in Maryland garb from the floor to the ceiling. On tours, every tour guide is sure to walk by this dorm to give a glimpse of what a “typical” dorm room might look like.

Our fifth picture was taken from the back end of McKeldin Library. Although we took our picture from the back, McKeldin Library is actually located at the “top” of the mall. Did you know our mall is exactly six inches longer than University of Virginia’s mall, making it the longest collegiate mall in the nation? If you look closely, the library looks like two very different buildings. They are indeed attached, but some years ago, the university decided to expand the library. Instead of “ruining” the front of the building, they decided to expand from behind. Us Terps treasure our mall and library and wanted to make it as appealing as possible. Why did they use a different style of architecture, instead of matching it with the old colonial architecture? We have no clue. Nonetheless, the library is a wealth of resources and is surrounded by open air and green grass.

Photo number six brought back memories of freshman and sophomore years because not only is it one of the newly renovated residential halls, but it is home to the University Honors Program. This photo was actually taken from the back side of the building, but it sits at one of the highest points on campus, at the very top of North Hill. This specific photo shows excellent details of our colonial architecture. The bright white trim of the doorways and windows are noticeable elements of our campus’ buildings.

The colonial architecture that makes our campus notable is much less evident in photo number seven. This photo was taken of the Art/Sociology Building. This building is most often times referred to as Art/Soc (pronounced: art s-oh-sh) by the students of this campus. “Where’s your next class? In Art/Soc?” It appears that there was a period of campus development where designers wanted to explore with various styles of architecture. Throughout the interior and exterior of this building, one can experience various galleries of visual art, including paintings, structures, statues, projects, etc.

As you can see, there is a fence surrounding Tawes, the building in picture number eight. It is currently being renovated because it used to house the Fine Arts classes and productions. Since the erection of our new Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, it has become obsolete. Now they have decided to update its classrooms and offices so it will be more useful for the entire campus community.

Lastly, in photo number nine, we included a scene on a bench in front of a contemporary fountain. This fountain is located in the middle courtyard surrounded by the Art/Sociology Building, Tawes, and the Benjamin Building. When the weather is warm, the benches are packed as students read The Diamondback (our campus newspaper) and work on readings for class, and listen to the soothing sounds provided by the movement of the rushing water