Walter Library is an academic library located on the East Bank campus of the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...

. It currently houses the College of Science and Engineering Library and Dean's Office, the Digital Technology and Digital Media Centers, the Learning Resources Center, and the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute. Walter Library is situated along

Northrop Mall The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. T ...

, a grassy area at the center of campus that is bordered by the university's physics, mathematics, chemistry, and administration buildings, plus

Northrop Auditorium Cyrus Northrop Memorial Auditorium (commonly known as Northrop Auditorium or simply Northrop) is a performing arts venue at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is named in honor of Cyrus Northrop, the university's second presi ...

History

Walter Library was built between 1923 and 1924 for a total cost of $1.4 million. Designed by Minnesota State Architect

Clarence H. Johnston Clarence Howard Johnston Sr. (August 26, 1859 – December 29, 1936) was an American architect who practiced in the US state of Minnesota during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Specializing in domestic, religious, and public architecture, he se ...

, the building served as the university's primary library for much of the twentieth century. The library was named in honor of

Frank Keller Walter Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Cur ...

in 1959. Walter, who had participated in the planning of the library, was the University of Minnesota Librarian from 1921 to 1943. Planning for a major rehabilitation of Walter Library began in the early 1990s. Work began in 1999 and continued until 2002. While the building received many technical upgrades during the project, much of the work also involved historical restoration. The project, conducted by the architectural firm of Stageberg Beyer Sachs, was completed in December 2002 for a sum of $63.4 million. Walter Library was formally listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

as a contributing property to the Northrop Mall Historic District in January 2018.

Architecture

Walter Library was designed in the Beaux-Arts style of architecture by Minnesota State Architect Clarence H. Johnston Sr. Like the other buildings on

, Walter Library features a red brick facade with Bedford limestone trim and a colonnaded

Ionic Order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite ...

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...

. Its interiors feature ornate columns and pilasters, marble staircases, vaulted ceilings, and gold leaf

gilding Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

. A common motif found within the library is that of an owl, which represents both wisdom and knowledge. There are an estimated 225 owl engravings located throughout the library. During the remodel, a sprinkler system was installed to bring the library up to modern building codes. In order to maintain the ceiling artwork, sprinkler heads and smoke detectors were strategically placed within the ceiling design to make them almost unnoticeable unless pointed out.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Libraries in Minnesota University of Minnesota Library buildings completed in 1924 Neoclassical architecture in Minnesota