Charles Deering Library is an

academic library An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution and serves two complementary purposes: to support the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students. It is unknown how many academic librar ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, a private

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, ...

. Deering served as the university's main library on the Evanston campus from 1933, when it was established, until the construction of the Northwestern University Main Library in 1970. Deering Library houses the Northwestern University Archives on the first floor, the Music Library on the second floor, the Art Collection and the Special Collections Department on the third floor. The library is named for

Charles Deering Charles Deering (July 31, 1852 – February 5, 1927) was an American businessman, art collector, and philanthropist. He was an executive of the agricultural machinery company founded by his father that became International Harvester. Charles's ...

, a Northwestern benefactor and chairman of

International Harvester The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated by IHC, IH, or simply International ( colloq.)) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household e ...

, who provided the initial financing for the building.

Construction and the building

Deering Library succeeded Lunt Library (now Lunt Hall) as Northwestern's principal library. Built in 1894, Lunt Library was the university's first library, but had become severely overcrowded by the 1920s. Deering Library, which was planned by

Theodore Wesley Koch Theodore Wesley Koch (August 4, 1871 – March 23, 1941) was the Director of Northwestern University's library (1919–1941), and the Director of the University of Michigan Library (1905–1915). He also held positions at the Cornell Universi ...

, University Librarian from 1919 to 1941, served as Northwestern's main library until the completion of

University Library An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution and serves two complementary purposes: to support the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students. It is unknown how many academic libra ...

in 1970. After the opening of the University Library, the only way to enter Deering Library was through a basement corridor that connected the new Library to the old. The site chosen for Deering Library had previously been occupied by Heck Hall, a dormitory which burned down in 1914. The library was designed by the architect

James Gamble Rogers James Gamble Rogers (March 3, 1867 – October 1, 1947) was an American architect. A proponent of what came to be known as Collegiate Gothic architecture, he is best known for his academic commissions at Yale University, Columbia Univers ...

Collegiate Gothic Collegiate Gothic is an architectural style subgenre of Gothic Revival architecture, popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries for college and high school buildings in the United States and Canada, and to a certain extent Europ ...

style. Building began in 1931, the cornerstone was laid in 1932, and the building opened in 1933. The structure is composed of Lannon stone and was modeled after

King's College Chapel King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bui ...

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. It contains 68 stained glass windows by

G. Owen Bonawit G. Owen Bonawit (1891–1971) was an artist whose studio created thousands of pieces of stained glass for Yale, Duke, Northwestern, and Southeast Missouri State universities; Connecticut College; Bethesda By The Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, ...

; many of the glass windows picture shields of other universities. The wood and stone carvings were made by the sculptor

Rene Paul Chambellan Rene Paul Chambellan (September 15, 1893 – November 29, 1955) was an American sculptor who specialized in architectural sculpture. He was also one of the foremost practitioners of what was then called the "French Modern Style" and has subseq ...

. The Bulletin of the American Library Association said of the wood carvings: "Captivating pelicans, pompous owls, and mischievous monkeys peer at one from decorous perches, refreshingly reminding one that the environment of scholarship need not necessarily be solemn." The initial funding for the building was provided by the family of Charles Deering, who donated $1 million for the building. Before his death, Deering had endowed a professorship in botany, and his father, William Deering, had donated Fisk Hall, another building on the Evanston campus.

Library renovation

In 2013, the library underwent a $2.5 million renovation that began with restoring the West Entry, where the main doors were located, the lobby, and the outside place, as well as adding accessible-entry routes. The library renovation received an award for "Devine Detail" from the Chicago chapter of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to s ...

in 2013 and a

Palladio Award The Palladio Award is an architectural prize given annually for "creative interpretation or adaptation of design principles developed through 2,500 years of the Western architectural tradition". The Awards, in several categories, are presented by t ...

for "Restoration and Renovation" in 2016.

References

External links

Deering Library Site
{{Authority control Library buildings completed in 1933 University and college academic libraries in the United States Federal depository libraries Northwestern University campus Libraries in Cook County, Illinois 1933 establishments in Illinois