The Lyceum is the oldest building on the University of Mississippi campus, completed in 1848 in the Greek Revival style and now the symbol of the university itself. The six-columned portico is on the institutional seal; the building houses the chancellor's offices. It served as a hospital for both Union and Confederate wounded during the Civil War and as the federal command post during the 1962 Meredith riot.
The building is closed to general visitors but the columned facade is worth seeing for itself and the lawn in front of it — the Circle — is the centre of campus. The Civil Rights Monument to James Meredith stands a few yards north of the building. A short walking tour leaflet covering the surrounding historic district is available from the campus museum.