Perhaps you have heard that Boston College is not actually a college. It has been a university since the 1920s. It is currently classified as an R1 research university. But it continues to go by the name Boston College. The first reason is to emphasize its historic role as a small liberal arts college. The second practical reason is to avoid confusion with Boston University. Boston University was founded in 1839.
Boston College was founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus. It was intended to be a place of learning for Irish Catholic immigrants. Today Boston College has grown into an internationally respected research university. It serves students of all backgrounds from all over the world.
Boston College has a reputation for amazing architecture. The Chestnut Hill campus is home to some stunning architecture. It includes some of North America’s earliest examples of collegiate Gothic architecture. Must-see places on the Boston College campus include Gasson Hall. This building is dominated by a soaring 200-foot bell tower. Also visit Bapst Library. It was named the country’s Most Beautiful College Library by Campus Grotto. Do not miss the Powers Atrium in Fulton Hall. It was designed in a Wizard of Oz theme. It features lights shaped like the Tin Man’s hat.
Did you know Boston College wasn’t always in Chestnut Hill? The original Boston College was simply a building on Harrison Avenue in the South End of Boston. It was a small streetcar college. It was intended to serve working-class students from nearby communities. In the early 1900s, the college began to outgrow its space. President Thomas I. Gasson, S.J. purchased 31 acres of land in Chestnut Hill. This became the heart of Boston College’s current campus.
If you want a prime viewing spot for the Boston Marathon, Boston College is an excellent destination. This is thanks to the university’s hilltop location at Mile 21. This comes just after the race’s Heartbreak Hill. Spectators can get a great view of the runners. They are already deep into the race. They struggle up the steep half-mile climb. It has come to symbolize the difficulty of the marathon. It also shows the dedication of its runners.
The Boston College mascot is an eagle named Baldwin. The name Baldwin comes from bald as in bald eagle and win. While Baldwin is seen at Boston College sporting events today in the guise of a costumed mascot, different versions of the eagle mascot have appeared over the years. In 1961, Boston College adopted a 10-month-old golden eagle. It was named Margo after the university’s colors of maroon and gold. Margo lived at Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo. She attended all the university’s home games for several years. She died in 1966.
Every spring, Boston College hosts one of the dirtiest university events in the country Mudstock. For this annual tradition, students build a mud pit in one of the campus parking lots. They use it for an all-day volleyball tournament. The day culminates in Modstock. This is an outdoor concert held at the nearby senior housing complex.
Other Boston College traditions convey a more serious message. These include the Red Bandana 5K run and the Red Bandana football game. These traditions are held every October in honor of Boston College alumnus Welles Crowther. Crowther was training as a volunteer New York firefighter when the 9/11 attacks occurred. Wearing his signature red bandana, Crowther helped guide survivors to safety during the World Trade Center evacuations. Returning twice to the building to help victims trapped under rubble, Crowther was killed when the tower collapsed. Crowther’s story is told in the 2017 documentary Man in Red Bandana. Boston College is more than just a school. It is a place of tradition and architectural beauty.