The Rhodes College campus is built on 100-acres of wooded land surrounded by an historic neighborhood near downtown Memphis. I caught a glimpse of the tower above (The Halliburton Tower) the first day we drove to downtown Memphis. From the street, it is barely visible through dense woods. I assumed it was a church and decided to come back later in the week to take a closer look.
The following Thursday on our way to visit the Gibson Guitar factory, we decided to find out what the tower was all about; it turned out be located on the Rhodes College campus. Finding the main campus entrance took a while, but when I did, the attendant told us we were welcome to wander around and take as many pictures as we wanted.
As I walked from the parking lot I was pleasantly surprised. The Rhodes campus buildings are constructed with variegated stone, in a Gothic style and have a decidedly unique appearance. The buildings are well spaced out, connected with wide walkways and surrounded with ample grassy areas. The campus design is exceptional; it's spacious but has an air of compactness. As I wandered around there was a different scene to photograph each time I turned a corner. I never quite got lost but ever so often I would look around just to make sure I wasn't.
Johnna and I had the campus to ourselves it seemed. I only saw a couple of students with books and one or two faculty members outside for a smoke. Rhodes has the feel and atmosphere of an Ivy League school. Walking the pathways, stopping to study the stone work and admiring the atmosphere made me a bit envious of the students and faculty that live and study here every day. Spending time on this campus would, I think, be an inspiration to learning.
The following photos are a sample of the 100 or so I took. We didn't go inside any of the buildings. When we started out in the morning I had no idea what we would find and we ran short of time. We wanted to be at the Gibson factory for the early afternoon tour.
If you're ever in Memphis, be sure to take in this outstanding College campus.
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