Gildersleeve's Cap & Gown established that brick Gothic designs could work well for eating clubs, and this style proved a natural fit for Campus, the next club to build. Campus stood across the street from the brick Collegiate Gothic of Palmer and 1879 Halls, and it was clear that a Norman- style building would suit the site.

Consequently, Campus considered a grand (and doubtless very expensive) Gothic design that strove to surpass the Gothic of Cap & Gown.