Transforming the Landscape

The bold 1961 decision to move Rochester Institute of Technology from a disjointed, small urban campus to sprawling suburban farmland, paved the way for the university’s expansive growth and global recognition: enrollment increased and new colleges and degree programs were established. Transforming the Landscape: Fifty Years on the New RIT Campus details the planning and construction of the modern campus coupled with an extensive photographic survey of its innovative architecture. Sarah Thompson’s essay offers insights to the planning of the new campus and the commitment to modernist architecture as representative of the institution’s future. More recent buildings to the campus are discussed in the context of the original 1968 plan. The profuse historical and contemporary photographs create a visual tour that documents the evolution and development of the modern campus into the 21st century.