Venture out from the Nittany Lion Inn for this 1.5 mile walking tour of campus highlights.
Nittany Lion Inn
Owned and operated by Penn State, the Nittany Lion Inn has been providing on-campus dining, lodging, and conference facilities since 1931. It has also offered important practical experiences to generations of students in the University’s hospitality programs. Expanded several times, the Inn now features 223 guest rooms and suites. The Inn owes its location to the adjacent highway, once called the Lakes to Sea Highway, which for many years served as the main transportation artery between the campus and other parts of the state. The Inn is a member of the prestigious National Trust Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust in Historic Preservation.
Lion Shrine
Carved from a 13-ton block of Indiana limestone by renowned sculptor Heinz Warneke, the Nittany Lion Shrine is the most photographed site on campus. It was completed in 1942 as a gift to Penn State from the class of 1940. By portraying the Nittany Lion as a mountain lion, Warneke helped define the mascot’s image for later generations of Penn Staters. The shrine was located here because of its proximity to the Nittany Lion Inn and so many athletic venues. Rec Hall, across the street, hosted basketball, wrestling, and other sporting events. Beaver Field, near the site of today’s Kern Building, was home to Nittany Lions football. Facilities for baseball, tennis, and golf also were nearby. New lighting, landscaping, and pathways were added to the shrine in 2013, thanks to a gift from the class of 2012.
Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
The Pasquerilla Spiritual Center is the largest multi-faith center of its kind in the country. As the home for the Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs, it offers space for the almost fifty religious and spiritual student organizations on campus and a welcoming, supportive environment to practice religion. Pasquerilla hosts worship services for many different religions and supports a variety of events that all members of the Penn State community are encouraged to attend, regardless of faith. Connected to the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center is the Helen Eakin Eisenhower Chapel, the beautiful chapel that is a popular spot for intimate weddings and commitment ceremonies, which are exclusively reserved for Penn State students, alumni, and employees.
Pattee and Paterno Labraries
Pattee Library, opened in 1940, and Paterno Library, dedicated in 2000, are a combined complex and the largest facility of the University Libraries. Pattee and Paterno contain eight subject libraries and numerous areas of interest to visitors, including a Leisure Reading Collection, exhibits, MacKinnon’s Cafe, and a display of what is often called the original Nittany Lion. Self-guided tours are encouraged. Be sure to pick up a brochure at any of the welcome desks. Penn State’s Libraries, with 24 campus locations across the commonwealth, rank among North America’s top ten university research libraries, offering more than 7 million volumes, hundreds of online databases, and 386,000 e-books.
The Penn State Veterans Plaza
The plaza is a gift of the class of 2011 and honors all Penn State Veterans. It features a sculpture of a warrior’s shield, symbolizing honor and sacrifice. The Greek inscription on the curved wall, in reference to the shield, means “With it, or on it,” a phrase spoken by Spartan mothers to their sons before battle. According to ancient tradition, a warrior was never without his shield. He returned home from battle either carrying his shield, or carried upon it by his comrades. The wall is named for Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, the only Penn State alumnus to receive the Medal of Honor, a distinction given posthumously for his courageous actions in 2005 during the war in Afghanistan.
Old Main Bell
This bronze bell initially hung in the original Old Main, which was razed in 1929; and later its successor, which occupies the same site. Cast in 1871 by the Boston foundry of William Blake and Company, it weighs twelve hundred pounds. When it was installed in the old, Old Main is unclear, but records indicate the bell was in regular use by 1892, calling students to class, chapel and other activities. It was placed in the new Old Main’s tower in 1930, but no longer rang after the installation in 1937 of the Westminster chimes, which still peal today. The class of 2009 made a gift to have the bell removed, restored, and displayed as you see here.
Obelisk
Erected in 1896 and part of campus legend for generations of students, the Obelisk demonstrates how long-term exposure to weather affects a wide variety of building stones found throughout Pennsylvania. A plaque on the Obelisk’s east side gives more information. A close inspection of the Obelisk reveals distinct differences in how well some of the 281 stones have withstood the elements. The slate, for example, shows evidence of disintegration. The Obelisk also symbolizes Penn State’s early leadership in mining and mineral education.
West Halls Quad
Waring Dining Commons
Nittany Lion Inn