Spooner Hall, University of Kansas
About this property
Spooner Hall was built in 1893–94 as the University of Kansas' first library building. The Richardsonian Romanesque structure was designed by architect Henry Van Brunt and built with funds bequeathed by William B. Spooner, a Massachusetts leather merchant who had a family connection to the university. As originally built, the building housed a reading room on the ground floor and meeting space on the upper level, with book stacks in a five-story section. Spooner Hall is constructed of rough-faced gray Oread Limestone blocks quarried in the immediate vicinity of Mount Oread. Red Dakota sandstone accents the quoins, columns, beltlines and sills. The roof is a steeply pitched gable with a clay tile roof covering, accented by a sculpted owl on the peak of the western gable. The original interior was completely modified for use as an art gallery. In 1924, Spooner Hall was superseded by a new library. In 1926, the building became the Spooner-Thayer Museum of Art. Later renamed the University of Kansas Museum of Art, the collection moved into the Spencer Museum of Art in 1978. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 15, 1974. The building presently houses anthropology collections and acts as a conference center.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Spooner Hall, University of Kansas listed on the National Register?
Spooner Hall, University of Kansas was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 14, 1974.
What type of historic resource is Spooner Hall, University of Kansas?
Spooner Hall, University of Kansas is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Spooner Hall, University of Kansas?
The period of significance for Spooner Hall, University of Kansas is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Spooner Hall, University of Kansas?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Spooner Hall, University of Kansas will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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