Built 1894 (1894) Opened 1894 Added to NRHP 15 July 1974 | NRHP Reference # 74000832 Area 4,000 m² Architect Henry Van Brunt | |
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Location 14th St. and Oread Ave. on the University of Kansas campus, Lawrence, Kansas Architectural style Southern Romanesque Revival Similar Strong Hall, University of Kansas Natural H, Mount Oread, Spencer Museum of Art, Budig Hall | ||
Spooner hall university of kansas
Spooner Hall was built in 1893-94 as the University of Kansas' first library building. The Richardsonian Romanesque structure was designed by architect Henry Van Brunt and built with funds bequathed by William B. Spooner, a Massachusetts leather merchant who had a family connection to the university. As originally built, the building housed a reading room on the ground floor and meeting space on the upper level, with book stacks in a five story section.
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Spooner Hall was constructed of rough-faced gray limestone blocks quarried in the immediate vicinity. A red Dakota sandstone accents quoins, columns, beltlines and sills. The roof is a steeply pitched gable with clay tile roof covering, accented by a sculpted owl on the peak of the western gable. The original interior was completely modified for use as an art gallery.
In 1924 Spooner Hall was superseded by a new library. In 1926 the building became the Spooner-Thayer Museum of Art. Later renamed the University of Kansas Museum of Art, the collection moved into the Spencer Museum of Art in 1978. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 15, 1974. The building presently houses anthropology collections and acts as a conference center.
Kujh tv news spooner hall to receive a facelift
