Through the Crystal Ball of the Chancellor's Residence brings you inside the original 1928 Chancellor's Residence at 1803 Hillsborough Street to share the vision and the family life of each of the university's leaders, from President Brooks to Chancellor Woodson. Just as the glass globe on the newel of the staircase near the front door reflects a panoramic view of the rooms, the furniture, and the world outside, the house too is a crystal ball through which we can view North Carolina State's history through most of the twentieth century. Treasured photographs from the albums of the house's former residents convey the spirit of each family.

The idea for this book was born in late 2011 as Chancellor Randy Woodson and his wife Susan moved from the residence to The Point, the new residence on Main Campus Drive at Centennial Campus. The stately Georgian Revival house had projected the dignified image of the leaders of the institution since its completion in 1928, and Susan wanted to celebrate the role of the old house during its eighty-three years.

The old chancellor's residence on Hillsborough Street will be renovated and expanded as the home of the Gregg Museum of Art & Design. The Gregg's collection of over 25,000 objects includes major holdings in textiles, clothing, ceramics, folk and Native American art, photography, design, decorative arts, and self-taught art. The museum will be able to present more of its holdings as well as special exhibits in the 15,000-square-foot addition designed by the Freelon Group architects of Durham.

This book also honors the other buildings and the plan of the historic North Campus along Hillsborough Street. Using documentary images from the NCSU Libraries Special Collections Research Center and recent images by photographers Edward T. Funkhouser, Roger Winstead, Craig McDuffie, Roger Manley, and others, it explores the university's architectural roots, beginning with the 1887 construction of Main Building (Holladay Hall), when one building held the entire college. During the Roaring Twenties, nationally known architect Warren Manning transformed the campus into a modern, harmonious ensemble of Neoclassical Revival educational buildings, Colonial Revival dormitories, gymnasium, and landscape courtyards. The former chancellor's residence stands as one of the final elements of the transformed campus, which served the university well until its growth boom after World War II.