A stroll across Princeton University's campus reveals many treasures to be enjoyed by the attentive observer — ornate archways, official seals, whimsical gargoyles, flowing epigraphy and sculpture of all sizes and materials. This video offers a tour of just some of these examples.
Together, Princeton's architectural and design elements create a place of beauty with numerous clues to a unique history. The meticulous details on the walls of buildings are a monument to the fond dreams of architects and campus planners. Princeton's campus treasures are a rich blend of the old, the new and the renewed, and like great thoughts, they weather time.
![Hidden Iconography video thumbnail](/sites/default/files/images/2012/02/hiddenicon_VideoThumbnail.jpg)
Play the "Bringing new perspectives to campus treasures" video.
There are many Princeton treasures not always at the forefront of our consciousness as we go about our daily routines. A shift in our visual perspective may be just the way to jar our consciousness and to cause us to quietly stop, look and ponder the stories behind them.
A significant part of Princeton's architecture points to the influence of Ralph Adams Cram, University architect from 1907 to 1929, who was the "high priest" of the American Collegiate Gothic style. A champion of craftsmanship, he looked for the labor of the human hand in a building, down to the smallest details. The University community and visitors are invited to explore the architecture and design of Princeton's campus.