Secret symbols carved into the buildings on the University of Florida campus. Dormitories and halls that, when viewed from above, form letters of the alphabet. It’s the stuff you’d expect to find in a Dan Brown novel. But, a stroll through UF’s historic district showcases these details and vagaries courtesy of architect Rudolph Weaver. Hence, the Weaver Code.
Weaver was the first director of UF’s School of Architecture, but he earned degrees in architecture and engineering at Drexel in Pennsylvania. After studying Beaux Arts in the atelier (workshop) of architect Henry Hornbostel, Weaver developed his unique architecture parlante, or “speaking architecture,” that used symbols carved into the exterior of a building to convey its purpose. He was the first chairman of the architecture departments and designed buildings on both Washington State and University of Idaho campuses before coming to Gainesville in 1925.
William Edwards designed the original campus buildings in the Collegiate Gothic style using the Weaver code. Weaver carried this theme forward, employing different details such as recessed entrance arches, crenellations and parapets at the top of walls or balconies, dormers, relief sculptures and plaques, tall narrow windows and steeply pitched gable roofs. These features can all be found at some of Weaver’s more notable works.
Leigh Hall (1927) – Originally called the Chemistry and Pharmacy Building, Weaver incorporated several details to hint at what type of education took place inside. The names of famous scientists like Michael Faraday, Louis Pasteur and Marie Curie are carved into the stone along the north and east walls. The copper downspout leader heads are embossed with alchemy symbols. Instead of the typical Gothic gargoyles peering down to the ground, Weaver replaced them with whimsical stone figures of scientists mixing chemicals and studying beakers and vials.
Sledd Hall (1929) – The balcony parapet walls have cast concrete seals of renowned universities like Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Stone figures of the (then) all-male student population occupy the cornices: a scholar with his diploma and cap, a soldier, a football player wearing a leather helmet and a student intently studying a book.
The south entrance arch bears the inscription “Mucozo.” Two stone faces protrude from each side of the doorway: on the left, Chief Mucozo of the Timucua tribe and on the right, Spanish explorer Juan Ortiz. Ortiz was part of the ill-fated Narvaez expedition to Florida in 1528. After being captured by another tribe, Ortiz escaped and Mucozo protected him. In keeping with this story, sculpted into the stone above the doorway are agricultural symbols of corn, grapes and fish as well as Native American symbols like a calumet, a war bonnet and drums.
The Infirmary (1931) – The main entrance to the medical building is carved with Gothic script. High above the doors are more pseudo-gargoyles: a surgeon holding a saw, a man walking with the aid of a crutch and a reclining patient.
Dauer Hall (1936) – This was the original Florida student union center, and Weaver tipped the building’s purpose in two copper roof vents that have the initials “S.U.” and “U.F.” Large gothic windows and stained glass are the highlights of this building. One of the entrances bears an inscription listing Weaver’s name, his professional association as a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects and his profession. A painting above the inscription covers the entire arched ceiling with an image of an orange tree (central to Florida’s citrus economy at the time). On the opposite side of the painting is a clue to the painter’s identity and the year it was completed, both written in Latin and Italian.
Fletcher Hall (1939) – This dormitory linked Sledd Hall to Thomas Hall. By doing so, the connected buildings spelled out the initials “U.F.” One of the bay windows has cast concrete symbols including an alligator, a scientist, a priest, a solider, a student, and a woman and child.
The Weaver code in Gainesville was not limited to the UF campus — he was also famously involved in the Seagle Building. Originally intended to be The Dixie Hotel when construction started in the 1920s, the building sat vacant and unfinished for several years after the Florida land boom collapsed. With the help of Georgia Seagle Holland, the city and county purchased the “Great Eyesore” and turned it over to the state. Weaver stepped in as architect for the Florida Board of Control and finished the project (the Florida Museum of Natural History moved off campus for many years and occupied the lower floors). Although he labored under a short deadline and limited funds, Weaver was able to see the construction of Gainesville’s first “skyscraper” through to completion.
Weaver died in 1944 and is buried at Evergreen Cemetery. His headstone is simple and unadorned but includes one last symbol for enthusiasts of his designs to decode. However, the Weaver code will live on forever.
Author’s Note: A campus map of the historic district, as well as detailed information about the architecture of each building, can be found at bit.ly/1fT1KRw.