Heart of the Campus: Doe Library 1912- 2012

Description:

Today the Charles Franklin Doe Memorial Library is a strong symbol of the entire campus system of over 30 library locations. One hundred years ago, Doe Library was the main campus library. But even before the collections were housed in Doe there were at least two prior libraries on campus. 1500 volumes made up the original collection that moved to the new Berkeley campus in 1873, first to South Hall, then to the new Bacon Library and Art Museum, built in 1881 to house the growing collections of some 17,000 volumes. In 1898, Phoebe Apperson Hearst sponsored a competition to design a master plan for the growing Berkeley campus. The task was eventually awarded to John Galen Howard, trained in Paris in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. The Library became a key component of his architectural plan. Indeed many consider Doe Library to be his masterpiece. Funding for the library came from the estate of Charles Franklin Doe, who died in 1904. Doe and his brother Bartlett manufactured doors and window casings. Leaving his money to build a library was very appealing to Doe. Ground was broken for the library in 1905, and the cornerstone laid in 1908. Doe Library was finished in the summer of 1911 and formally dedicated on Charter Day of 1912. Looking at the façade of Doe Library and at the tops of the Doric columns you will see open books faced out, symbolic of the emanation of knowledge. After 100 years, our students, faculty and library community still depend on the library for their information needs. We look forward to our next century as we celebrate the first.

Attribution:

Steve Mendoza

Date:

2012