[Photo Story] Liminal Spaces At Penn State

Amid the bustling energy of Penn State’s campus, there are some places that seem to slip through the cracks of our everyday rush — those in-between spots where time feels slower and the atmosphere shifts.

From the quiet corners to forgotten hallways and unexpected transitions, these spots offer a brief pause, inviting us to experience the campus in a different way. These liminal spaces (or spaces that are familiar but eerily forgotten) are rare to find but worth the experience, so we at Onward State took it upon ourselves to compile a few of our favorites.

The Walker Building

The Walker Building is a common place for many engineering classes, but something about the tile floor and walls just gives us major heebie-jeebies.

The Willard Building

It’s rare to catch the Willard Building empty but when you do, the feeling is surreal. The dimly lit hallways and staircases take this space to the next level.

The Pattee & Paterno Libraries

We’ve examined the library at night before, but it’s hard to truly express how liminal the library feels when you’re there late at night. When you think about all the students to come before you, this place seems so familiar yet so forgotten at the same time.

Osmond Laboratory

With ominous chemicals, warnings, and boxes all around, you definitely want to keep your hands to yourself when walking through Osmond Laboratory. This place feels like your high school lab, after hours and on steroids.

The Chambers Building

In a very similar vein lies the Chambers Building. What feels like a bad science movie, or maybe a scene in Jurassic Park, is very cluttered, adding to its mystique.

The Intramural Building

What you might think of as one of the most active places on campus, actually has some eerie attributes when you look hard enough.

As we journeyed through these hidden pockets of campus, it was clear these spaces, though often unnoticed, leave a lasting impression. In a place as busy as Penn State, it’s these quiet thresholds that offer a rare glimpse of calm amidst the movement — places where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, if only for a fleeting second.