University of Oregon, Knight Library – Eugene OR

Description

“By the mid-1920s, the “Old Libe” (now Fenton Hall) had inadequate space to hold library materials even with its 1916 addition. Library collections were stored in several campus locations, including the second floor of Condon Hall. As a consequence of the Depression, Librarian Matthew Douglass with the strong support of Senator Fred Steiwer [w]as able to obtain funding for a new library as a Public Works Administration project. The cost of the library, approximately $460,000, was paid through US gifts and loans and support from alumni and friends — no state funds were expended for construction. Construction began on September 17, 1935; the new building opened on May 3, 1937. The Library terminated the south axis of Lawrence’s plan which originally envisioned a Memorial Auditorium at that site. Significant additions were added in 1950, 1966, and 1993/94 but the exterior integrity, and much of the interior design, remains intact…The Library’s rich interior features work by Fredrick Baker (lighting), Brownell Frasier (interior and textiles), exterior sculpture (Edna Dunberg and Louise Utter); ironwork (O. B. Dawson), landscaping (Fred Cuthbert); and murals (Arthur and Albert Runquist), among many others.”   (https://library.uoregon.edu)