Homecoming Self-Guided Tech History Tour

October 23, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Reserve Your Spot for the Self-Guided Tour During Homecoming

Visit The Hill in central campus during Homecoming to see pieces of Tech history and art at the Stephen C. Hall Building, D.M. Smith Building, the Price Gilbert Library, and more at the Self-Guided Tech History Tour. The Archive Reading Room in Crosland Tower will feature rarely seen artifacts from Tech's history. Check out some of the items below that will be on display and download the tour map at the bottom of this page.

Homecoming Info

Featured Artifacts at the Archive Reading Room

Tour Stop #1

Exclusive to the Self-Guided Tour, these special items and more from Georgia Tech’s 148-year history will be displayed in the Archive Reading Room inside Crosland Tower.

1952 Look Magazine

In 1952 at the request of Georgia Tech Athletics sports information director Ned West, Marilyn Monroe took photos in Georgia Tech gear for the 1952 Tech football media guide. This photo of her was famously featured on the cover of Look magazine with Monroe in a Tech cheerleader sweater. When the photos were sent back to West, Monroe included a signed photo of herself that is still kept today by his family.

Half-time Control-Line Plane

In the 1940s and 1950s, control-line planes were flown at half-times during Tech football games. The planes were made of balsa wood and powered by a glow-plug engine. Two would be prepped to fly each game, one painted in Georgia Tech colors called the “Yellow Jacket” and the other in the opposing team’s colors.

1972 Football Program vs. Boston College

Tech’s first football game against Boston College was in 1972, which was also the first season under head coach Bill Fulcher. Tech won 42-10, Tech’s largest margin of victory over Boston College to date. This year’s game will be the 13th meeting in series history with Tech winning seven of twelve games so far.

1911 Sheet Music for Tech’s Fight Song

This 1911 copy of sheet music for “Rambling Wreck From Georgia Tech,” was originally arranged by Mike Greenblatt in 1910. The song is based on a Scottish drinking song “Son of a Gambolier” from the 1800s. In 1953, Greenblatt signed the rights to the song over to the Institute for $1.

Self-Guided Tour Stops: Facts and Features (Audio)

Click play on the images below to listen to audio facts about stops #2–#6 of the Self-Guided Tour. Each video includes captions.

Tour Stop #2

1996 Olympic Centennial Exhibit

Open to the public through November, the Georgia Tech Library “Centennial Summer: Georgia Tech’s Olympic Legacy” exhibit, showcases Tech’s involvement with the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. During the Olympics, Tech served as the Olympic Village and hosted multiple Olympic and Paralympic events, including swimming, diving, boxing, water polo, and synchronized swimming. The display includes five torches designed in part by Tech professor Sam Shelton, seats from the Olympic Stadium, Olympic branded MARTA passes from 1996, and artifacts from Tech’s first Olympian, Ed Hamm, Comm 31.

Tour Stop #3

Mickey Mouse Clock

In 1978, a Mickey Mouse clock was affixed to the east wall of Skiles Classroom Building by Henry Claxton, Cls 81, and Lindsey Smith, CerE 77, MS CerE 78, a prank inspired by a similar one done at Auburn’s Samford Hall. The original clock, now replaced with a duplicate after it stopped working, read “Smaxton Incorporated” on the bottom. Finding the clock’s location continues to be a tradition for new Tech students.

Tour Stop #4

Original 1930s Naval Armory Gates

From the 1930s to 1980, the Naval Armory on Georgia Tech’s campus featured gates designed by Julian Harris, Arch 28, at the front of the building. The gates, cast in the foundry at Tech’s Shop Building, include 12 panels depicting athletics and military scenes, along with 10 panels of Navy imagery and the seals of the State of Georgia and Georgia Tech. The gates were relocated to the Stephen Hall Building in the early 1980s.

Tour Stop #5

D.M. Smith Building

Opened in 1923, the D.M. Smith Building completed extensive renovations in 2025 to restore the building. During renovations, student signatures from 100 years ago were found and the original terrazzo floors were preserved. The building originally was called the Physics Building, and later named for David Michael Smith, a Tech professor who taught for 41 years before retiring in 1954.

Tour Stop #6

Koan Sculpture

The Koan Sculpture was installed on Tech’s campus in 2020 sitting between the Architecture Building and the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons. The sculpture is the final design of Atlanta architect John Portman, Arch 50. Portman’s esteemed career included designing everything from Atlanta area high schools to hotels. Portman designed the Marriot Marquis in Atlanta, which once opened in 1985 was the tallest hotel in the world. The initial design for Koan was completed in 2017 and required virtual wind tunnel experiments to ensure the sculpture could withstand high winds.

2026 Homecoming Self-Guided Tour Map

Explore pieces of Tech’s history from the Mickey Mouse Clock, the newly renovated D.M. Smith Building, the Koan Sculpture, the Naval Armory Gates in the Stephen C. Hall Building, and artifacts at the Price Gilbert Library and Archive Reading Room with this self-guided tour map.

Map of Homecoming self-guided tour with labels

Download the Map

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