The Carleton Digital Exhibit is a project intended to engage the user by letting them choose their own path. Instead of passive scrolling, the user becomes an active participant in the exhibit. Click on specific points on the map to get in depth information of the building’s history and broader architectural context. There may even be a fun fact or activity attached!

Carleton’s architectural movements can be broken down into several eras, with each era calling to different architectural movements across the progression of Western Civilization. The timeline is roughly: early buildings (mainly influenced by Romanesque motifs), the Cowling Era (directly influenced by Collegiate Gothic), the Modern era (influenced by Modernism), and the New Century Era (a mix of calling back and calling forward a la the Language and Dining Center).

After World War II, there was a push to create architecture that called forward to the future instead of the past. For this reason, many buildings fall under the Modern style after 1946.

In contemporary Carleton, it is hard to perfectly label what architectural style we are currently in. It seems as though Carleton’s current architecture calls both back to the past and forward toward postmodernism. My focus for this exhibit is on Early Buildings, the Cowling Era, the Modern era, and a portion of the New Century Era.

Much of the content for this exhibit is adapted from Lauren Soth’s Architecture at Carleton: A Brief History and Guide (2002). I am incredibly indebted to this resource, as it provided invaluable information for this project. I would also like to thank my professor, Baird Jarman, for giving me so much freedom in shaping this project and helping me focus its scope. This exhibit would not have been possible without his guidance.