Campus History & Architectural Tour

Campus History & Architectural Tour Service: Campus Tour

Join a tour led by volunteer docents from CHATS (Campus History & Architectural Tour Service). Discover how the original academic buildings and high-tech laboratories of Caltech, one of the world's foremost institutions of science and engineering, created an architectural footprint that relates to the surrounding community. 

Starting at the entrance to the Athenaeum, the tour will explore exteriors only of Caltech's original campus. Participants will see how Bertram Goodhue using "shaded portals, sheltering walls, and Persian pools" to set the tone for a campus of great beauty so that scientists and engineers would become more aware of the aesthetic values of life. 

Reservations are required so we can arrange for docents in advance and keep tour group sizes manageable. Signup online here for a Tour Reservation.

If you have a group with more than four people, please contact CHATS directly via email.

NOTE: This is a strenuous walk and is not suitable for people with strollers, walkers or children. The total distance is approximately 1⅓ miles and includes flights of steps. Tours last from 1½ to 2 hours. Low-heeled shoes are advised. For information on special needs please email.