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Protecting Art in Suzzallo Library During Renovation

The following works of art reside in Suzzallo Library and need to be protected during renovation. The methods used vary according to the type and location of the art.

• Smith Room historical murals
• Sculptures
  • Circum Okto
  • The Waiting Multitude
• Glass globes of the world from Suzzallo Reading Room
• Liberty Bell replica
• Bust of Harry Bridges
• Stained glass windows

The Smith Room historical wall murals represent the history and exploration of the Northwest and were painted in 1934 by artists Paul M. Gustin and John T. Jacobsen. They include maps with topographical details, historical figures and flowers indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. The murals were composed using a water-based paint on canvas, which was then glued to the walls.

These historical wall murals required the most elaborate protection and are being preserved in place. A conservator was hired to plan the process, which began with the installation of floor-to-ceiling scaffolding so that a thorough cleaning could be done. A very mild non-water and non-solvent based solution was used. The surface was then covered with pieces of special plastic film, designed to protect the murals from microbes and dust. The final step was to fasten foam padding over the murals.

In the past, the only access to the Smith Room was through the Suzzallo Reading Room. Once renovation is complete, the Smith Room will be more accessible to the public via a newly created corridor. The Libraries will then have the ability to share this historic space more generously.

Circum Okto is a freestanding metal sculpture completed by John Geise in 1964 and presented to the University by the Ford Foundation. Circum Okto used to stand in the rotunda outside the Reading Room. The University has moved this sculpture to a new permanent location in Meany Hall.

The Waiting Multitude, a cast metal relief by Ray Jensen, was formerly located above the first floor corridor. The architects who designed the 1963 wing of Suzzallo commissioned this piece in 1967. Jensen, a UW alumnus, described his work as representing the "aggregate peoples of the world who suffer from the many and compounding problems that beset them..." The wall it adorned will be permanently altered during renovation, and the sculpture will no longer fit the space. Eventually, it will be installed in a new quiet-study room to be located at the West end of Suzzallo, First Floor. In the meantime, it has been crated and stored.

The rotunda area was also home to a small replica of the Liberty Bell. The replica was presented to the Libraries in 1976 as part of the United States Bicentennial. Manuscripts, Special Collections, University Archives will store the bell until renovation is complete, at which time it will return to the glass cabinet in the rotunda.

The two hand-painted world globes that hang from the ceiling at either end of the Suzzallo Graduate Reading Room, were removed by ArtTech, the same firm that installed the fossil crocodile in Allen South. These delicate pieces have been crated and stored during renovation.

The representation of Seattle labor leader Harry Bridges, formerly located in a prominent place inside the West Entrance of Suzzallo, is being stored in Manuscripts, Special Collections, University Archives.

Last but not least, the stained glass windows will also be protected in place with plywood coverings, or removed and stored if necessary.