The original library of the University of Wyoming was built in the 1920s. Thanks to an agreement between the state and the university, the university was to receive a share of the federal oil royalties the state of Wyoming got. That money enabled the university to start constructing new buildings and much needed additions to the campus, one of them being the original library. That story shows how closely linked state, education and oil business are in Wyoming and is certainly a fact that is quite unique to this area.
However, after World War II the focus on new and better education grew and the university was in need of an improved, modern university library that could meet the standards of a more ambitious educational system and was also suitable for the rising numbers of students. After the stunning gift of $750,000 from William Robertson Coe in 1953, construction of the new library started in 1956. Coe Library was opened in 1958. The architects responsible for the design of the library were Eliot and Clinton Hitchcock who planned many mid-century modern projects in Laramie. The building “incorporated aspects of the international style with the traditional use of native stone. The most striking thing about the library is of course its plain, simple, flat and rectangular form. The windows, whose form and order is also very strict and linear, are framed by typical mid-century modern aluminum frames. Over the windows we can see glass brick elements (picture 2). Material like aluminum and glass were also used in the construction of the side entrance, whose big, overhanging roof – another mid-century modern stylistic device – is supported by two pillars that at least look like they were made out of aluminum. The door at that entrance is framed just like the windows. The original entrance can be seen in pictures 8 and 9. Nowadays, this entrance is closed but the mid-century modern features are still there. The flat, over-hanging roofline that used to over the entrance is now supported by big window elements that fit well into the mid-century modern façade. The roof is still overhanging and the original pillars carrying it are incorporated in the ‘new structure’. It seems as if the open spaces were just ‘filled up’ with glass elements. Another characteristic typical for that era are the planter boxes that surrounded and still surround parts of the library.
In 1979 and most recently in 2009, the library underwent extensive renovations and several additions were made to the building. However, despite of those changes it is still possible to see the mid-century modern design of the entire structure.
The Coe Library is a symbol for the university’s educational and academic ambition and stands for its constant striving to improve resources for students and scholars. Its history shows the interdependence of education, state, industry and private donors as well as the growing importance and transformation of education after World War II.
Additonal research has been done on Coe Library for its 50th anniversary and is available here :William Robertson Coe Library: Reflections on the Past
However, after World War II the focus on new and better education grew and the university was in need of an improved, modern university library that could meet the standards of a more ambitious educational system and was also suitable for the rising numbers of students. After the stunning gift of $750,000 from William Robertson Coe in 1953, construction of the new library started in 1956. Coe Library was opened in 1958. The architects responsible for the design of the library were Eliot and Clinton Hitchcock who planned many mid-century modern projects in Laramie. The building “incorporated aspects of the international style with the traditional use of native stone. The most striking thing about the library is of course its plain, simple, flat and rectangular form. The windows, whose form and order is also very strict and linear, are framed by typical mid-century modern aluminum frames. Over the windows we can see glass brick elements (picture 2). Material like aluminum and glass were also used in the construction of the side entrance, whose big, overhanging roof – another mid-century modern stylistic device – is supported by two pillars that at least look like they were made out of aluminum. The door at that entrance is framed just like the windows. The original entrance can be seen in pictures 8 and 9. Nowadays, this entrance is closed but the mid-century modern features are still there. The flat, over-hanging roofline that used to over the entrance is now supported by big window elements that fit well into the mid-century modern façade. The roof is still overhanging and the original pillars carrying it are incorporated in the ‘new structure’. It seems as if the open spaces were just ‘filled up’ with glass elements. Another characteristic typical for that era are the planter boxes that surrounded and still surround parts of the library.
In 1979 and most recently in 2009, the library underwent extensive renovations and several additions were made to the building. However, despite of those changes it is still possible to see the mid-century modern design of the entire structure.
The Coe Library is a symbol for the university’s educational and academic ambition and stands for its constant striving to improve resources for students and scholars. Its history shows the interdependence of education, state, industry and private donors as well as the growing importance and transformation of education after World War II.
Additonal research has been done on Coe Library for its 50th anniversary and is available here :William Robertson Coe Library: Reflections on the Past
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