Curious Incidents at DU Landmarks
Over the years, many buildings on campus have developed their own histories—true stories that have become part of our campus tradition.
Buchtel Memorial Tower
Buchtel Tower used to be one of four bell towers on Buchtel Chapel, built in 1910. A fire in 1983 destroyed all but one tower. Today the surviving tower houses the Victory Bell, which rings every year at the end of Commencement.
Evans Chapel
Built in 1878 by Governor John Evans in memory of his daughter Josephine, this campus landmark originally was located in downtown Denver. In 1961, the chapel was dismantled stone by stone and relocated to the western edge of the Harper Humanities Garden on campus. Each stone was numbered to ensure the chapel would be rebuilt with every stone in its original place. Today, the chapel is a popular site for DU alumni weddings.
University Hall
Back in the early 1900s, when DU fielded a football team, fans looked forward to the fierce pigskin rivalry with the Colorado School of Mines. In 1919, students from the School of Mines snuck into the University Hall basement and set off four charges of dynamite. The prank broke 100 windows and damaged the walls. Structural reinforcements were required again decades later when the building was refurbished. You can still see the reinforcements on the northeast corner of the building.
Mary Reed Building
Legend has it that the ghost of Mary Reed, one of the University's great benefactors, roams the hallways of the building named after her. Doors, light bulbs and elevators are said to act of their own accord, and the ghostly figure of a woman is sometimes spotted on a staircase. She has even been seen occupying an armchair and perusing a book in the building's DuPont reading room.
The Mary Reed Building was constructed in 1931 as the University's library. It now houses administrative offices. Some Web sites name it as one of Colorado's most haunted places.
Read more about DU's tradition and vision.