University Archives, Collection C: 1/83/15
This is the architectural plan for the library. The bottom of the plan is north, the top is south. Starting from the bottom left is the Office and Reading Room of the State Historical Society of Missouri. (Larger view) The Society, which also occupied quite a bit of space in the basement of the 1915 library, has always been housed in Ellis Library.
To the right of the Historical Society is the North Entrance, the main entrance to the library. The next time you enter the library through the North Entrance notice the marble on the entrance walls. The finishes of the 1915 library are still quite attractive.
To the west (right) of the north door was the Periodical Room. Clearly, the Library did not receive many periodicals in 1915. (Larger view).
Moving up or south, the Exhibition Lobby is directly in front of the north entrance and takes up most of the space. (Larger view) It is flanked by staircases on either side. (Larger view) The staircase balustrades and newel posts were designed by the architect and are quite ornate. The stairwells opened to the Exhibition Hall and also had three large large windows between the floors that let in natural light. (Larger view) To the left of the east staircase is the men's coatroom and toilet. Today the north elevators occupy that space. To the right of the west staircase is the women's coatroom and toilet. The women's toilet remains in original location, but you will be glad to learn that it was updated in 2014.
Behind the Exhibition Lobby was the Art Seminary Room, or what we would now call a seminar room. (Larger view) The square at the top of the drawing are the book stacks. These books stacks were closed and could not be browsed except perhaps by the faculty. Undergraduates filled out a call slip and waited for the book to be retrieved. The desk where you would request books was on the second floor.
