There is something special about being on Vanderbilt’s campus.
No matter where you are, amazing views surround you—beautiful and varied architecture, lush greenery and a vibrant campus community—all nestled within the heart of Nashville. The entire Vanderbilt campus is designated as an arboretum, with more than 6,000 trees and shrubs representing over 190 species, including elms, oaks and magnolias. Architectural Digest has repeatedly listed Vanderbilt’s campus among the most beautiful college campuses in America.
All of this and more make Vanderbilt an incredible place to be and an incredible place to take photos! We asked our social media community to tell us their favorite places on campus to snap a picture. Here is what they said.
1.) Wyatt Center
With its magnificent rotunda, Wyatt Center is the largest and grandest building on the Peabody College campus. Originally built in 1914 and 1915, the building underwent extensive renovations in the mid 1990s and has been transformed into a state–of–the–art teaching and learning center for education and human development students and faculty.
2.) Kirkland Hall
Vanderbilt’s Kirkland Hall is an iconic campus symbol. At its dedication in October 1875, the building housed all the university’s classrooms and laboratories as well as a library, museum and chapel. Architect William Crawford Smith, who later designed Nashville’s Parthenon, was responsible for its double-towered, Victorian Gothic design. It was one of only 10 buildings in the original construction plan for campus. After a devastating fire in 1905, it was reconstructed. The building was known by many names—Main Building, Old Main, University Hall and College Hall—before it was renamed Kirkland Hall in 1937 in honor of Vanderbilt’s second and longest-serving chancellor, James Hampton Kirkland, and his wife, Mary Henderson Kirkland.
Read more about Kirkland Hall.
3.) West End Tower
Nicolas S. Zeppos College opened in August 2020 as one of Vanderbilt’s residential colleges, encouraging living and learning as a community, outside of the classroom. The college’s gothic-style architecture houses 335 upper-division students and includes a state-of-the-art dining hall, great room, study lounges and other event spaces. The adjoining 20-story West End Tower has become a campus landmark, visible from miles away. It houses students, visiting faculty and university guests, and the top floors are used for conferences.
Read more about Nicolas S. Zeppos College.
4.) Peabody Campus in the Fall
In addition to being a National Historic Landmark and the home to Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development, the Peabody campus also serves as a home for Vanderbilt’s community of first-year students, who live on The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons.
5.) Honorable Mentions
Submit a content idea– Want to see your social media ideas come to life? Use the form to pitch a content idea to Vanderbilt’s social media team.
Become a Commodore Creative – Interested in becoming more involved with Vanderbilt’s social media team? Fill out the interest form to connect with the team.
Sign up for SpotMyPhotos– Did you have your photo taken on campus? Register for SpotMyPhotos to gain access to your photos taken by our university photographers
When sharing your photos on social media, remember to tag @VanderbiltU and use #Vandygram!
