In 1998, a Library Task Force appointed by Provost Ed Ray and chaired by
Professor Sebastian Knowles completed their report. "What the Task Force would like to propose is something extraordinary. We have in mind a newly imagined Main Library refashioned from the original Main Library building that would provide the University a center for its academic mission." |
Designed in the Second Italian Renaissance Revival style by the Boston firm of
Allen and Collens, the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library--also
known as the Main Library--opened in 1913. The library's site was
suggested by the Olmsted Brothers, designers of Central Park in New York
City. As grand as the new building was, it soon began to reach the
limits of its capacity to serve the needs of the growing university.
After World War II, a surge of veterans led to a dramatic increase in
enrollment, and the university's administration called for a long-delayed new
addition to the library. The 1951 expansion to the west took the form of
a new 11-story structure, providing new study space and stack areas.
In 1966, the addition of a mezzanine floor to the once acclaimed
reference hall divided it laterally in half. This effort seriously
compromised the magnificence of the original building, as did a
contemporary addition to the west of the stack tower in 1977. Today,
much of the grandeur of the original 1913 building has been lost. With
each subsequent addition and renovation, the beautiful features of the
original building have become increasingly obscured.
Following a 2001 feasibility study, Graham Gund Associates was selected
in 2003 as the national design architect, with George Acock Associates
as the architect of record. The program and design phase of the
renovation is now underway and construction is now scheduled from 2006-09.
The library renovation represents the only building project named in the
Academic Plan and the university's largest capital allocation for the
improvement of an academic building.
The renovated Thompson Library is the centerpiece of a plan to move Ohio
State into the forefront of academic excellence. Housing significant
print collections, digital information resources, spaces for individual
quiet study, and areas for interactive group learning, the building's
original, unique architectural features will be restored to their
original grandeur.
Distinguished rare books and special collections, now scattered among
library facilities across campus, will be brought together and made
available for exhibition and research. A new heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning system will be installed, in addition to life safety and
electrical systems.
Accessibility will be improved and the overall learning environment will
be enhanced to better serve the university's diverse student body,
distinguished faculty, and patron community.
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