Suzzallo Library Renovation Project

Ever since it opened in 1926, the Reading Room has inspired comparisons with the great reading rooms of the world. A 1927 article in The Pacific Builder and Engineer stated that "This room has been pronounced by experts to be the most beautiful on the continent and is ranked among the most beautiful in the world. It is comparable only to the nave of a cathedral." Today, visitors to the campus are still enthralled by its richness and beauty.

From April 2000 - August 2002, the Reading Room was closed as part of the major seismic and life-safety renovation of the Suzzallo Library. The plaster and cast stone in each of the four corners of the room were removed so that structural X-bracing could be installed. Once the bracing was installed, the four corners were completely restored. The center four roof trusses in the attic over the Reading Room ceiling were strengthened and then tied to the new structural bracing that was installed over the Grand Stair Hall. The structural bracing over the Grand Stair Hall is visible, but within the Reading Room, the extra bracing of the roof trusses is above the ceiling and doesn't show.

The renovation project did not change the appearance of the Reading Room -- all of the seismic work is invisible in this space.

Click on an image below to see an enlarged view.

Entrance to the Reading Room, third floor, Suzzallo Library.

A long view of the Reading Room. The room is 56 feet high, 52 feet wide, and 250 feet long. Alcove with carved wooden paneling.

Chandeliers and alcove windows. The room features a vaulted ceiling elaborately decorated with rich colored and gilded stenciling.

Oak bookcases are topped with a hand-carved frieze representing native plants of Washington.

At each end of the room, hand-painted world globes hang over the alcoves. Each bears the names of different explorers.

Ironwork grill on cast stone wall. Throughout the room, marbled panels, wood paneling, and ironwork grills display the craftsmanship employed in creating this place.

Leaded stained glass windows. The lower part of the left one shows one of 28 Renaissance watermarks worked into the design of the windows.


Entrance to the Reading Room, third floor, Suzzallo Library.	A long view of the Reading Room. The room is 56 feet high, 52 feet wide, and 250 feet long.	Alcove with carved wooden paneling.

Chandeliers and alcove windows. The room features a vaulted ceiling elaborately decorated with rich colored and gilded stenciling.	Oak bookcases are topped with a hand-carved frieze representing native plants of Washington.	At each end of the room, hand-painted world globes hang over the alcoves. Each bears the names of different explorers.

Ironwork grill on cast stone wall. Throughout the room, marbled panels, wood paneling, and ironwork grills display the craftsmanship employed in creating this place.	Leaded stained glass windows. The lower part of the left one shows one of 28 Renaissance watermarks worked into the design of the windows.