The Quadrangle (Quad)

The Quad is an original, historic part of the Atlanta campus. Students are often seen studying, lying in hammocks, meeting for classes, or playing Frisbee. Every May, 14,000 chairs are set up for Commencement to celebrate the graduating class.

Media Gallery

Buildings on the Quad

Into the Wild

History of the Quad

Coke Toast

Commencement

⭐ Buildings on the Quad

From iconic monuments to storied halls, the Quad provides a unique insight into campus history, with each building representing a distinct story. Explore and discover all the stories that make up this dynamic collection.

The Administration Building

This building houses the Office of the Provost and other offices that oversee the operations of Emory University.

White Hall

White Hall is home to Emory’s auditorium-style lecture halls. Class sizes range from a one-on-one independent study to a lecture course with more than 100 students, but the median number of students in an Emory class is around 25. Large lecture classes usually divide into smaller discussion groups and labs.

Henry L. Bowden Hall

Home to the Departments of History and Philosophy, this building was built in 1951, and was originally known as the History Building. Today, it is named for Henry L. Bowden, chair of the Board of Trustees from 1957 to 1979, and a graduate of the college and law school. Henry Bowden led the fight to overturn a Georgia law prohibiting private colleges from integrating by taking away their state tax exemption. When the state supreme court struck down the law in 1962, a better Emory—and a better state—became possible.

Michael C. Carlos Hall

The Michael C. Carlos Hall building is a unique architectural gem on Emory University's campus. The building was one of the original two buildings on the Emory University Atlanta campus in 1919, serving as a home for the university's law school. It features an elegant central staircase and Georgia marble facade built by renowned Beaux Arts architect Henry Hornbostel. The building was renovated in 1985 into offices for art history majors and classrooms connected to the Carlos Museum.m.

Convocation Hall

Convocation Hall, formerly known as the Theology Building, is one of the oldest buildings on campus. In 1915, it was built to house Emory's School of Theology and Pitts Theology Library. Symbolizing the subjects studied there, the eaves of the building are decorated with a cross and a crown of thorns.

Originally a chapel, the building’s interior was redesigned by architect Paul Rudolph to become a library. Rudolph, whose father was a member of the School of Theology's first class in 1915, also designed the brutalist Cannon Chapel, located just off the Quadrangle, adjacent to the Theology Building.

Today, Convocation Hall supports Emory's mission with offices for the university president, other university leaders, academic gatherings, trustee meetings, and campus events.

⭐ Into the Wild

During Emory University's Commencement ceremony in 2006, graduates were in for a surprise—none other than actor Sean Penn was on campus filming an iconic scene from Into the Wild, a movie about Emory graduate Chris McCandless. Little did they know their special graduation moment would be immortalized in Hollywood film history.

⭐ History of the Quad

When Emory moved to its new Druid Hills campus, the well-established architect Henry Hornbostel was hired to design the campus. He made extensive use of pink Georgia marble and Italianate Neo-Renaissance style in his plans, inspired by Tuscany's landscape. Arthur Tufts, an Atlanta engineer, oversaw the construction. Since the 1970s, this area has been included in the National Register of Historic Places.

⭐ Coke Toast

During Orientation Week, new first-year students will cross through the iconic Haygood-Hopkins Gate to mark the beginning of their journey at Emory University before participating in another beloved tradition, the Coke Toast. Emory's president and other members of the university's administration join to officially welcome everyone into the Emory community. A second Coke Toast is held right before Commencement, making this tradition a great beginning and end to any student’s experience at Emory.

⭐ Commencement

Each academic year concludes with Emory’s traditional graduation ceremony—Commencement. 14,000 chairs are set up on the Quad in front of Convocation Hall every May. Past Commencement speakers include Tyler Perry, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Bryan Stevenson, Ambassador Andrew Young, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Congressman John Lewis, Salman Rushdie, William Foege (devised the global strategy to eradicate smallpox), and Natasha Trethewey.