Landis Hall is a special place for me. I lived in dorm 220 for my freshman year at Florida State University (2022). The exterior of the building is a great example of beautiful architecture in the Collegiate Gothic style. Collegiate Gothic is a style of architecture popularized in America during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Found on campuses across the nation, it is instantly recognizable due to its heavy influence from Gothic and Tudor English architecture.
Landis Hall was built on one of the best pieces of real estate on FSU’s campus; the dorm hall sits atop Landis green, facing the Strozier library, and between classrooms, the dorm halls, the dining hall, and other campus points of interest. Landis hall was built completed in 1939, most recently renovated in 2006. The building is named after the 25th Florida Attorney General, Cary D. Landis. Landis Hall currently houses FSU honors students.
The FSU Architectural Guidelines provides a fascinating look into the specificities of buildings like Landis at the school. Concerning the collegiate gothic style, buildings must be constructed in red brick, incorporate double hung sash windows, and capped with tile or slate pitched roofs. The roofs are characterized by steep pitches and large dormers. The buildings also showcase light colored limestone, terracotta, and “stone detailing [that] occurs around doorways and in string courses, quoins, portals, arcades, and below eaves.” The building main entryways use a four point arch for a grand entrance.
The street side of Landis enjoys a tranquil courtyard (perfect for studying) thanks to the buildings U shape. This side of the building features several carvings into the limestone, including human iconography, the state of Florida Seal, and the Seal of the Florida State College for Women (a predecessor to modern FSU). Interestingly, Landis Hall is the only building on campus with exclusively female carvings in the building.
The Landis Green side of the building is semi symmetric, still characterized by double hung sash windows and a steep roofline with dormers. There is a central turret, which breaks the roof line to house large gothic style windows for the sky reading room (beautifully paneled with dark wood). The central door several steps above ground level, and beneath a gothic arch.
This was a great building to live in. The location could not be beat, and the architecture was always a treat to enjoy when returning to my dorm!
