The Rock (Northwestern University)

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The Rock on December 31, 2007

The Rock is a boulder on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, United States, located in between University Hall and Harris Hall. It serves as a billboard for campus groups and events, and has been painted with different colors and messages over the years.

## History

[edit]

The rock in 2009

The Rock, a purple-and-white quartzite boulder, was transplanted from Devil's Lake, Wisconsin, as a gift of the class of 1902. That graduating class liked the idea of running water on campus "in some form or another" and rigged the Rock to make a fountain on the south end of campus. The original plumbing was later refitted into a water fountain.

Over time, vandalism of the Rock gradually increased, particularly during the Vietnam War. With the first painting of the rock in the 1940s, it became a canvas for student art, opinions, advertising, messages, proposals, and jokes. By tradition, students who wish to paint something on the Rock often guard it from sunrise until the early morning hours before painting.

The Rock is no longer one solid piece of quartzite. In 1989 the Rock was moved about 20 feet to accommodate new landscaping, and the work crew moving the Rock dropped it, splitting it up one side and crumbling part of the base. Scientists at McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science provided an epoxy to patch the Rock together again.

## In popular culture

[edit]

Author Bob Wood discusses The Rock in the Northwestern chapter of his 1989 book Big Ten Country.

## See also

[edit]

* List of individual rocks

## External links

[edit]

* Webcam of The Rock
* Blog about The Rock updated daily with pictures
* The Rock, Northwestern University Archives, Evanston, Illinois
* https://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/repositories/6/resources/1159

* v
* t
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Northwestern University

Located in: Evanston IL and various other locations

Academics|

* Music
* Management
* Engineering
* Journalism
* Medicine
* Theological
* Law

Research|

* Galter Pavilion
* Segal Design Institute
* McGaw Medical Center
* International Institute for Nanotechnology
* Northwestern Medicine
* Northwestern University Institute for Policy Research
* Argonne–Northwestern Solar Energy Research Center
* Infrastructure Technology Institute

Evanston Campus|

* Buildings
* Residences
* Block Museum
* Dearborn Observatory
* Deering Library
* The Lakefill
* Lindheimer Astrophysical Research Center
* Norris Center
* Technological Institute
* Old College
* Former Roycemore School building
* Pick-Staiger Concert Hall
* Shakespeare Garden
* Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts
* The Rock
* University Hall
* University Library

Chicago Campus|

* Buildings
* Residences
* Galter Pavilion
* Lurie Children's Hospital
* Northwestern Memorial Hospital
* Prentice Women's Hospital
* Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

Qatar Campus|

* Northwestern Qatar

Athletics|

| Teams|

* Baseball
* Men's Basketball
* Women's Basketball
* Field Hockey
* Football
* Women's Lacrosse
* Men's soccer
* Softball

|

Venues|

* Patten Gymnasium
* Rocky Miller Park
* Ryan Field
* Welsh–Ryan Arena

Related|

* Marching band
* Illinois football rivalry
* Willie the Wildcat

Media|

* The Daily Northwestern
* North by Northwestern
* Northwestern University Law Review
* Northwestern University Press
* TriQuarterly
* WNUR
* Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property
* Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology

Traditions|

* Dance Marathon
* Dillo Day
* Dolphin Show
* Go U Northwestern
* History
* Student activism
* Schwarts Lectures
* Waa-Mu Show

People|

* Alumni
* Faculty
* Presidents
* John Evans

* Founded: 1851
* Students: 21,208
* Endowment: 15 billion
* Category

42°03′06″N 87°40′33″W﻿ / ﻿42.051565°N 87.675922°W﻿ / 42.051565; -87.675922
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