SeePublic art

Block M

Gift of the Class of 1953 to U-M president Harlan Hatcher, placed in May 1953 at the spot where the two diagonal walks cross. It is cast of bronze and set in granite. Campus legend has it that if you step on the M you will flunk your first blue book exam.

Wheelchair accessible

Website: public-art.umich.edu (opens in a new tab)

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Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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University of Michigan Diag
The heart of the University of Michigan's Central Campus, the Diag is the main quadrangle around which most of the key buildings on campus are arranged. Its name comes from the primary walkway that runs from the northwest to southeast corners of the Diag. In the middle of the Diag, just in front of the graduate library, is a brick courtyard with a brass M in the center; according to student legend, if you step on the M during your first semester at the university, you are doomed to fail your first exam. The Diag is often used for demonstrations, booths or student fairs, and is a popular hangout in warm weather.
SeeLibrary
Hatcher Graduate Library
913 South University Avenue
Open now · closes 9 pmWheelchair accessible · Built 1920
SeeMonument
Professors’ Monument
There is a half-broken column that stands upon a small pedestal at the southeast corner of Hatcher Library. Plaques for Professors Douglass Houghton (Geology), Charles Fox (Agriculture), and Samuel Denton (Medicine).
SeeMuseum
Angell Hall Observatory
435 S State St