Aspirations for Excellence: Alexander Jackson Davis and the First Campus Plan for the University of Michigan, 1838

In 1838, the Regents of the University of Michigan contracted with Alexander Jackson Davis, who provided landmark designs in the Gothic Revival style. Although they approved Davis' designs, the financial situation forced the Regents to ultimately abandon them, and instead build in the classical style. The architect of these structures has been unknown, as has been the source for the plan for placing them on the campus.

Aspirations for Excellence explores the early physical develo…