Explore Suzzallo & Allen Libraries
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Suzzallo Facade
18 terra-cotta figures in niches atop buttresses were selected by the UW Faculty in 1923 to symbolize contributions to learning and culture.
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Grand Stair Hall
At the top of the Grand Staircase is the Grand Stair Hall. In 1926, this area was a rotunda surrounded by stained glass windows.
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Bhutan Book
The Grand Stair Hall houses one of the world's biggest books, Bhutah: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom. More info
Reading Room
The Suzzallo Reading Room features a vaulted ceiling with vibrantly colored and gilded details. It is ranked among the most beautiful in the world.
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Globes
At each end of the Reading Room hangs a hand-painted world globe, each of which bears names of explorers.
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Suzzallo 1961-63 Addition
As you exit the Reading Room through the Grand Stair Hall, a transition in the floor from sandstone to linoleum marks the 1961-1963 addition of 125,000 square feet.
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Tomistoma Machikanense
In the south wing of the Allen Library is a cast of a 28-foot fossil crocodile.
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Art Installation
In 1994, artists Carl T. Chew, Mare Blocker, J. T. Stewart, and Ron Hilbert installed their collaborative artwork, Raven Brings Light to This House of Stories in the Allen Library as part of the Washington State Art in Public Places Program.
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