A view of Grawemeyer Hall with a close-up of the Thinker statue from the Oval, on the Belknap campus of the University of Louisville, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Grawemeyer Hall was built in 1926, and currently houses adminstrative offices of the university president, provost, and vice presidents. The building is named for Charles Grawemeyer, a major benefactor to the University. At one time it served as the University’s library. The building was modeled after Thomas Jefferson’s Rotunda on the grounds of the University of Virginia. And on its steps, stands one of the original castings of Auguste Rodin’s the Thinker.
The University of Louisville is a public research university founded in 1798, via a charter by the Kentucky General Assembly. The university moved to its current location, the Belknap campus in 1923, and became a public state university in 1970.
The university is home to the Louisville Cardinals, and includes athletic programs for baseball, football and soccer. As of 2013 the Cardinals have won 50 Big East Championships across all sports.