Inspired by a castle on the Rhine River in Germany, the walls of this building on the campus of Alfred University are a geological museum. They contain more than 8,000 rock specimens, many of which came from the glacial deposits in the Alfred area. The main structure was erected by Jonathan Allen, the second president of Alfred University, between 1876-1880 to house his collections of curiosities, minerals and rocks. Through the years, many other items were added. It was closed as a museum during the early 1950’s. This structure, through the efforts of the Alfred Historical Society, has been entered in the National Register