Campus History & Architectural Tour

Campus History & Architectural Tour Service: Campus Tour

Join a tour led by volunteer docents from CHATS (Campus History & Architectural Tour Service). Discover how the original academic buildings and high-tech laboratories of Caltech, one of the world's foremost institutions of science and engineering, created an architectural footprint that relates to the surrounding community. 

After a brief visit to the Athenaeum, Gordon Kaufmann's Mediterranean eclectic faculty club completed in 1931, the historic tour will explore Caltech's original campus. Participants will see how Bertram Goodhue using "shaded portals, sheltering walls," and water features to set the tone for a campus of great beauty so that scientists and engineers would become more aware of the aesthetic values of life.

Advance RSVP required.

NOTE: This is a strenuous walk and is not suitable for people with strollers, walkers or children. The total distance is approximately 1⅓ miles and includes flights of steps. Tours last from 1½ to 2 hours. Low-heeled shoes are advised. For information on special needs please email chats.caltech@gmail.com.

The Athenaeum parking lot is reserved for members and guests of members only. Visitors are asked to park on nearby streets or in nearby Caltech parking lots on Holliston Avenue and California Boulevard.