Why do buildings and bridges look the way they do today? To answer this question, students in Perspectives on the Evolution of Structures, a popular class taught every spring by the Civil Engineering’s chair, Ben Schafer, look to JHU’s Peabody Library and its collection of rare architectural books for answers.
“The class includes a section on Baltimore buildings, and the Peabody Library, which was built in 1860, is the best surviving example of an incredible period in Baltimore’s architectural history,” Schafer says. At the Peabody Library, Schafer’s students are given the chance to view rare architectural volumes from the 19th and early 20th centuries. “It’s an amazing opportunity they have,” says Schafer. “We’re very fortunate to have these resources at Hopkins and that we can provide students access to them in this setting…the experience so enhances their understanding.”