sentences:  The tiles on the fireplaces and entry floors boast patterns in literary and educational themes, such as "The Canterbury Tales" in the old library.A large, tripartite tile mural on the north wall of the courtyard, also by Mercer, depicts the eastern and western hemispheres united by a ship on an allegorical journey of education.In 1970, exploring new designs in school furniture, the Institute for Educational Research worked with the Design Department of Southern Illinois University to create a series of interconnected truncated octahedrons known as "learning spaces", which resembled an oversized beehive.