Oberlin College Campus at Night, from Peters Hall

A college campus at night, viewed from high above, showing criss-crossing paths illuminated by orange lights, an old building on the left and modern one on the right

Apr 15th, 2005, by Alex Zorach

This photo shows Oberlin College's campus at night, viewed from the deck on top of Peters Hall. I was up on the top of Peters hall because I went to visit the observatory, which is located on the roof of this building, but I took a few minutes to stop by the unique deck.

Peters hall is much taller than most of the other buildings on campus, and Oberlin, Ohio is very flat, so the view from the top of the building is quite outstanding. I found this particular picture or view appealing because of the criss-crossing paths forming an X on the right. There's something a bit magical-looking about this photo. Another reason I particularly like the X in this photo is that it is a spot I passed by on foot nearly every day while at Oberlin, often multiple times. This photo shows a familiar and important place for me, but from an unusual view that I rarely experienced.

I also like the warm, inviting glow of Warner gym in the building. This building, the old gym on campus, was used mostly by the dance department when I was a student at Oberlin. On the right is Mudd library, an ugly, modern building that still has its odd charm. Most of the lights are orange, but the more bluish lights in the distance are for the parking lot behind Dascomb hall. I grew up very near the east coast, in a denser area, and Ohio seemed to have a lot more space than anywhere else I had lived. The lights thus became all the more inviting and comforting...a sign that I was still in civilization, even if I was in a small town in a rural area, in a region with a rather cold, wet, and dreary winter.