University of Chicago

Renown for its early research in the sociology of urban communities, and given the university's role in urban reform, it seems almost ironic that the early architectural layout of the campus called for courtyards surrounded on all sides by buildings, known as "quadrangles." Such a design was intended to insulate the students from the surrounding city in the hopes of creating a close-knit environment for scholars. With funding from John D. Rockefeller in 1892, the donation of ten acres from Marshall Field, and the hiring of architect Henry Ives Cobb, the University of Chicago dwells with Gothic glory in the Hyde Park neighborhood, south of the city's downtown "Loop." For all the early attempts for self-containment, the University has actually built a strong relationship with the city, and has been influential in its public policies. Still active in areas of social reform and urban renewal, and with a large number of its faculty as recipients of the Nobel Prize, the University of Chicago has worldwide acclaim.