Gothic Design

The Boston College campus features four dramatic examples of English Collegiate Gothic architecture—Gasson Hall, St. Mary's Hall, Bapst Library, and Devlin Hall. The original plans, however, called for at least 20 such buildings. The architectural firm of Maginnis and Walsh envisioned an "Oxford in America," with the majestic structures laid out in a cathedral-like shape. Although fulfilling this vision proved to be too costly, a distinctive campus did take shape. A journalist visiting the Heights in 1915, wrote, "Even in embryo, it is Oxford and Cambridge without their grime."