100th Anniversary of Pickler Memorial Library

In 1924, Old Baldwin Hall burnt to the ground, taking the library with it. Devastatingly beyond saving, everyone agreed that the library needed to be rebuilt first, even though it meant sacrificing classroom space that Old Baldwin used to house.

An alumnus of first graduating class of 1870 and former faculty member, Samuel M. Pickler, made generous donations to fund the building and furnishing of the new library. The library was named Pickler Memorial Library in his honor.

One hundred years ago in 1925, the construction of Pickler Memorial Library was completed. Only a third of the new building was needed for library purposes at first, but by the mid-60s, the building was bursting at the seams. Several additions followed, the first in the mid-60s and again in the late 80s.

In 1993, the renovation of the Pickler Memorial Library we all know and love came to an end. Old and new were joined together by wrapping the historic 1925 structure into the new space. The exposed brick throughout the building reveals the shell of the library built 100 years ago.

Photographs and historical information courtesy of Special Collections and University Archives, Pickler Memorial Library. Explore more of Pickler’s fascinating history.