Crystal Tower (Arena)

The Crystal Tower was a mystical structure located on the Summerset Isles, which, before the construction of the Arcane University, was the supposed pinnacle of magical learning in Tamriel. It was razed by Daedra hordes during the Oblivion Crisis, who had managed to cast the Tower to the ground, 'with all the dignity of a beggar.' Crystal Tower, a monument to the spirit of the elven people and one of their greatest engineering projects. Within the glittering walls of the Tower are housed the graves of the early Aldmeri settlers, preserved forever as a lasting symbol of the power of the people for that brief moment in history, fully unified.

Also known as Crystal-Like-Law, this structure is of symbolic importance to the Altmer just as White Gold was for the Ayleids.

A shadowy group who call themselves the Beautiful, originally a salon for artists with the reasonable philosophy that Summerset must let go of its past in order to move forward, became a revolutionary gang dedicated to the destruction of the greatest monuments of Altmer civilizations. The Crystal Tower was naturally an early target, and attempts against it failed.

The Great Anguish:

During the Oblivion Crisis at the end of the Third Era, the Summerset Isles were plagued by hordes of Daedra. The Crystal Tower stood as the Altmer's last bastion of hope and thus housed many refugees fleeing the violence.

Daedra surrounded the tower and after a few days launched a massive assult that led to the slaughter of many elves and the eventual collapse of the Crystal Tower. (As told by Lathenil of Sunhold in Rising Threat)

Present Day:

As of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Crystal Tower has been in ruin for 200 years.