""Many people wonder which is the best building on campus. It's a
popular question to ask the architectural faculty. Although I don't
have any idea about what they may mean by 'best, ' I have always
given the same answer: Spooner Hall. Even before I went inside
Spooner, I could see that it was a building of distinction. It is
well proportioned, and it is evident from the way that it has
adapted and survived that it has a good bone structure.""--Barry
Newton, KU Professor of Architecture
Here is the biography of a much-loved architectural
landmark.
Spooner Hall, the sixth building to be erected at the University
of Kansas, is a Romanesque structure in two colors of stone (Oread
limestone quarried onsite and imported Dakota red sandstone) and
sits proudly atop Mount Oread with a beautiful view over the valley
to the east.
Carol Shankel and Barbara Watkins bring together photographs and
documents that trace the building from its construction in 1893 to
its current use, highlighting the many colorful personalities
associated with the building along the way. Their book celebrates
not only the building's architectural richness and importance, but
also its changing roles.
For more than a century, Spooner Hall has shown itself to be
remarkably adaptable to the University's needs and aspirations.
Funded by a gift from William B. Spooner, a Boston leather merchant
and philanthropist, the building was designed by the nationally
known architectural firm of VanBrunt & Howe. The Spooner
Library was completed in 1894, with a capacity of about one hundred
thousand volumes--almost five times as many as the University then
had. Thirty years later, in 1924, it became the Spooner-Thayer
Museum of Art, and then in 1979 the University of Kansas Museum of
Anthropology. The renovation of the main floor in 2007, recognized
for excellence by the Kansas chapter of the American Institute of
Architects, includes acoustical tile ceilings, bamboo flooring, new
lighting, and state-of-the-art audio-visual and internet
connections. It is now The Commons, a space intended to encourage
research and teaching across the domains of the natural sciences,
the arts, and the humanities--"a space where everyone has the right
to give voice."
The book features wonderful period photographs; excerpts from
official university reports, newspapers, and correspondence; and
Carol Shankel's interview with two former KU art museum directors
who share their special memories of the building.
Anyone associated with the University of Kansas will treasure
this book and its celebration of a beloved campus icon.
General
Imprint: |
University Press of Kansas
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
November 2009 |
First published: |
November 2009 |
Compiled by: |
Carol Shankel
• Barbara Watkins
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152mm (L x W) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Cloth over boards
|
Pages: |
72 |
Edition: |
New |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-7006-1691-6 |
Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
Education >
General
|
LSN: |
0-7006-1691-8 |
Barcode: |
9780700616916 |
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