diff --git a/gtsam/slam/Ellipse.cpp b/gtsam/slam/Ellipse.cpp
deleted file mode 100644
index 0aec14d40..000000000
--- a/gtsam/slam/Ellipse.cpp
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,56 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @file Ellipse.cpp
- * @author Alex Cunningham
- */
-
-#include <boost/foreach.hpp>
-#include <gtsam/slam/Ellipse.h>
-
-namespace gtsam {
-
-/* ***************************************************************** */
-void Ellipse::calculateMoments(const Matrix& covariance) {
-	// CODE SOURCE: pulled from MastSLAM linearDrawing, derived from Richard's code
-	// eigenvalue decomposition
-	Matrix U,V;
-	Vector S;
-	svd(covariance,U,S,V);
-
-	// invert and sqrt diagonal of S
-	// We also arbitrarily choose sign to make result have positive signs
-	for(size_t i = 0; i<2; i++)
-		S(i) = pow(S(i), 0.5);
-	Matrix eig = vector_scale(U, S); // U*S;
-
-	// draw ellipse
-	moment1_ = Point2(eig(0,0), eig(1,0));
-	moment2_ = Point2(eig(0,1), eig(1,1));
-}
-
-/* ***************************************************************** */
-Ellipse::Ellipse(const Point2& m, const Matrix& covariance)
- : mean_(m), cov_(covariance)
-{
-	calculateMoments(cov_);
-	for (double angle = 0.0; angle < 2.0 * M_PI; angle += (2.0 * M_PI / 50.0))
-		unit_circle_.push_back(Point2(cos(angle), sin(angle)));
-}
-
-/* ***************************************************************** */
-Ellipse::Ellipse(const Pose2& m, const Matrix& covariance)
- : mean_(m.t()), cov_(sub(covariance, 0, 2, 0, 2))
-{
-	calculateMoments(cov_);
-	for (double angle = 0.0; angle < 2.0 * M_PI; angle += (2.0 * M_PI / 50.0))
-		unit_circle_.push_back(Point2(cos(angle), sin(angle)));
-}
-
-/* ***************************************************************** */
-void Ellipse::print(const std::string& s) const {
-	mean_.print(s + std::string(" mean"));
-	gtsam::print(cov_, "covariance");
-	moment1_.print("moment1");
-	moment2_.print("moment2");
-}
-
-} // \namespace gtsam
diff --git a/gtsam/slam/Ellipse.h b/gtsam/slam/Ellipse.h
deleted file mode 100644
index b13b4e19e..000000000
--- a/gtsam/slam/Ellipse.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,43 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @file Ellipse.h
- * @brief Data structure for managing covariance ellipses with visualization
- * @author Alex Cunningham
- */
-
-#pragma once
-
-#include <gtsam/geometry/Pose2.h>
-
-namespace gtsam {
-
-/** Parameters and functions for a 2D covariance ellipse */
-class Ellipse {
-protected:
-	Point2 mean_;
-	Matrix cov_;
-	Point2 moment1_, moment2_; /// moments of the ellipse
-
-	// TODO: make this static so it isn't calculated each time
-	std::vector<Point2> unit_circle_; /// unit circle for ellipses
-
-public:
-
-	/** finds the moments on construction */
-	Ellipse(const Point2& mean, const Matrix& covariance);
-	Ellipse(const Pose2& mean, const Matrix& covariance);
-
-	// access
-	const Point2& mean() const { return mean_; }
-	const Matrix& covariance() const { return cov_; }
-	const Point2& moment1() const { return moment1_; }
-	const Point2& moment2() const { return moment2_; }
-	const std::vector<Point2>& unit_circle() const { return unit_circle_; }
-
-	void print(const std::string& s="") const;
-
-protected:
-	/** calculates moments from the covariance matrix */
-	void calculateMoments(const Matrix& covariance);
-};
-
-} // \namespace gtsam
diff --git a/gtsam/slam/Makefile.am b/gtsam/slam/Makefile.am
index ea36faed8..42db68d6f 100644
--- a/gtsam/slam/Makefile.am
+++ b/gtsam/slam/Makefile.am
@@ -39,10 +39,6 @@ check_PROGRAMS += tests/testPose2SLAM
 sources += planarSLAM.cpp
 check_PROGRAMS += tests/testPlanarSLAM
 
-# Visualization
-sources += Ellipse.cpp
-check_PROGRAMS += tests/testEllipse
-
 # 3D Pose constraints
 sources += pose3SLAM.cpp 
 check_PROGRAMS += tests/testPose3SLAM 
diff --git a/gtsam/slam/tests/testEllipse.cpp b/gtsam/slam/tests/testEllipse.cpp
deleted file mode 100644
index 091c71f83..000000000
--- a/gtsam/slam/tests/testEllipse.cpp
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,49 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @file testCorePlanarSLAM
- * @brief Test single robot, planar case, data association (for Freiburg)
- * @author Alex Cunningham
- */
-
-#include <iostream>
-#include <boost/foreach.hpp>
-#include <CppUnitLite/TestHarness.h>
-#include <gtsam/base/TestableAssertions.h>
-
-#include <gtsam/slam/planarSLAM.h>
-#include <gtsam/slam/Ellipse.h>
-
-using namespace std;
-using namespace gtsam;
-
-const double tol = 1e-5;
-
-/* ************************************************************************* */
-TEST( testEllipse, point_covariances ) {
-
-	// Using a bearing/range measurement model with two observations
-	double range = 0.5;
-	double range_sigma = 0.1, bearing_sigma = 0.1;
-	double s1 = range_sigma;
-	double s2 = sin(bearing_sigma)*range;
-	Matrix covariance1 = Matrix_(2,2, s1*s1, 0.0,
-																		  0.0, s2*s2);
-	Point2 mean(0.5, 0);
-	Ellipse actEllipse1(mean, covariance1);
-	EXPECT(assert_equal(mean, actEllipse1.mean(), tol));
-	EXPECT(assert_equal(covariance1, actEllipse1.covariance(), tol));
-	EXPECT(assert_equal(Point2( 0.1, 0.0), actEllipse1.moment1(), tol));
-	EXPECT(assert_equal(Point2( 0.0, 0.05), actEllipse1.moment2(), 1e-3));
-
-	// ellipse parameters
-	Matrix covariance2 = Matrix_(2,2, 0.00666667,  0.0,
-																		0.0,	0.00210191);
-	Ellipse actEllipse2(mean, covariance2);
-	EXPECT(assert_equal(mean, actEllipse2.mean(), tol));
-	EXPECT(assert_equal(covariance2, actEllipse2.covariance(), tol));
-	EXPECT(assert_equal(Point2(0.0816497, 0.0), actEllipse2.moment1(), tol));
-	EXPECT(assert_equal(Point2(0.0, 0.0458466), actEllipse2.moment2(), tol));
-}
-
-/* ************************************************************************* */
-int main() { TestResult tr; return TestRegistry::runAllTests(tr); }
-/* ************************************************************************* */