Home

10%

It’s All in the Details

A Closer Look at Architecture and Design Across Campus

By Texas Christian University

February 1^st, 2024

TCU is one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country. With a mix of historic and contemporary buildings, you will find a number of carefully designed details inside and out that make our 302-acre home the perfect place for Horned Frogs to learn, live and play.

Columns and Carvings

Erected in the 1960s, Sadler Hall’s iconic columns remain after a 2022 renovation.

Originally built in 1911, the ornate columns of Jarvis Hall have been preserved through renovations over the years.

Stately columns outside the Walsh Center for Performing Arts welcome thousands each year for theatre and music performances in PepsiCo Recital Hall and Hays Theatre.

Home to the biology and psychology departments, an inscription on the exterior of Winton-Scott Hall hints at the learning and research happening inside.

While the artist’s intent is unknown, a unique carving of Zeus, the Greek god of sky and thunder, hovers over entrances of Winton-Scott Hall, built in the 1940s.

On the east side of campus, large columns flank the main entrance of Mary Couts Burnett Library.

Ornate stone carvings adorn Ed Landreth Hall, built in the neo-Georgian style.

“Knowledge Is Power” is etched in 12 languages on the interior stairs of the library.

The university seal adorns the Brown-Lupton University Union exterior.

Towers and Rotundas

The Brown-Lupton University Union features a clock tower that rises above the Campus Commons.

Originally built in 1999, a clock tower tops the Tom Brown-Pete Wright residence halls.

The Robert Carr Chapel steeple is the highest point on campus.

The Mary Wright Admission Center, with a rotunda lit in purple, is often the first stop for prospective students and families visiting campus.

The Rogers Rotunda, inside the Hays Business Commons, spans three floors.

A tower rises over the entrance of The Harrison, TCU’s main administration building.

Hundreds of Horned Frogs pass through the three-story Rogers Rotunda each day.

Sculptures and Statues

A bronze horned frog sculpture named Ol’ Rip sits between Scharbauer and Reed halls.

The TCU Sundial, near the Walsh Performing Arts Center, was installed in 2015.

Students rub the nose of the Sadler-Reed frog for good luck before tests.

The TCU Student Memorial serves as a place of remembrance to honor Horned Frogs lost during their enrollment at TCU.

Froghenge, created by former TCU Provost Nowell Donovan as a way to pay homage to the rock formations of his homeland of Scotland, is often used as an outdoor classroom.

Frog Fountain features four lotus leaves of different heights — one for each class year. The flow of water signifies the transfer of knowledge between each.

Archways

A hub of student activity, the Brown-Lupton University Union welcomes Horned Frogs from all walks of life.

In the Hays Business Commons, a covered passage connects the Shaddock Auditorium to Hays Hall.

The King Family Commons leads to Marion and P.E. Clark halls and the Greek Village.

Several of the buildings in the Tom Brown-Pete Wright complex are connected through a covered walkway.

Built in the 1980s, the J.M. Moudy South Visual Arts and Communication Building is a concrete structure with a courtyard partially enclosed by overhead windows.

Hints of Purple

Almost anywhere you look on campus, you’ll see some purple — even outside in the King Family Commons.

The rotunda in the Mary Wright Admission Center is lit purple at night.

A purple accent wall in the Mary Couts Burnett Library welcomes students in search of a quiet place to study.

Purple furniture is prevalent around campus, like in the Tucker Technology Center.

A stairwell in Rees-Jones Hall glows purple.

Stained glass in Rees-Jones Hall sets the scene for studying.

The TCU logo appears on handrails around campus.

Brick by Brick

Did you know? TCU’s iconic buff brick color is steeped in history, business and branding.

Read the Story

Footnotes

Photos by James Anger.

FootNotes

Photos by James Anger.

© 2026 Texas Christian University

Our Values in Action

Celebrating TCU’s Future and the Chancellor’s Inauguration

Incoming Students Connect and Explore in Munich

Roach Honors Frog Camp 2025

There’s No Place Like TCU℠

A Combination You’ll Find Only Here

A Taste of TCU Dining

Where Horned Frogs Eat On Campus

TCU Liberal Arts

Inside the Experiences That Broaden Students’ Horizons

It’s TCU Game Day!

Student Spirit Fuels the Horned Frogs

Loading, please hold on.