Welcome to Hyde Park

This is the accessibility version designed specifically for users needing extra accessibility features.
Feel free to check out the original experience here.

Hyde Park

Tour stop audio transcript

Welcome to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in Hyde Park. The Charles M. Harper Center is the global headquarters of Chicago Booth, and home to our faculty, leadership, and many of our administrative, program, and research center offices. The Harper Center campus is a one-of-a-kind location offering students and researchers a level of support and resources unmatched in the world of business school education. Designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly to reflect the architectural influences of Hyde Park, Harper Center is a contemporary nod to the neo-gothic architecture of Rockefeller Chapel. The campus hosts many of Booth’s banner events, such as the Edward L. Kaplan, ’79, New Venture Challenge, as well as student and campus gatherings.

Main Entrance

Tour stop audio transcript

The Harper Center has a number of resources and unique aspects to support students: from cafés to lounges to study rooms. At the center of them all is the Rothman Winter Garden, a six-story space where students can study, meet up with friends, and eat lunch. The Winter Garden is where large events are held throughout the year, including parties, socials, performances, and the New Venture Challenge winner announcements. When Professor Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2017, the press conference was held right here, and was open to students and staff. Just outside is a parallel "Summer Garden”, a space with comfortable outside seating as well as famous art piece "Ideas of Stone", a large-scale, outdoor sculpture by Giuseppe Penone, otherwise known as ‘the tree.'

Features and Highlights

Tour stop audio transcript

The lower level of the Harper Center is something of a hub for student life. Nearby you can see study rooms that can be reserved for group projects or to make use of the monitors, whiteboards, and collaborative tools. You can also find the computer lab, Bloomberg Terminal, printing station, changing rooms, and lockers. There are more than 80 student-led groups, for every profession, sport, or special interest you can think of at Booth: dive into the energy industry or entrepreneurship, sign up for wine tasting or skiing, work on the student newspaper, or practice for the annual rugby matchup against Kellogg. These groups organize conferences, guest speakers, tournaments, trips, and social events; they also provide crucial networking and recruiting possibilities.

Classroom Overview

Tour stop audio transcript

The Harper Center is home to 11 classrooms where our curriculum comes to life. Most classes have a maximum of 65 students, with one larger lecture hall holding up to 130. Featuring state-of-the-art technology to support learning, including projectors, a lectern computer, web-based IP TVs, and ceiling speakers; these classrooms were designed with the input of students and faculty to create an environment that helps support class discussion and elevated engagement. Our classrooms have been optimized for hybrid teaching and learning. But more important than our facilities is the educational philosophy that sets Booth apart from every other business school in the world—it provides an enduring, multidisciplinary framework taught by the world’s best business school faculty; and aims to teach people how to think, not what to think.