Main Library – UGA 54 (1952, 1974; Category 2). By the 1940s, the University had begun to outgrow the library building funded by philanthropist George Foster Peabody. Ilah Dunlap Little emerged as a substantial donor in 1944 to help fund a new library. However, his gift came with restrictions, namely that the building would feature columns on all four sides, and would be built on the site of the Chancellor’s House, an antebellum brick structure. The University used the offer of the gift to secure additional funds from the state legislature. The Main Library was the first campus building constructed under the University System Building Authority that professionalized the University’s system of design and construction from the informal in-house procedures followed during the 1930s and 1940s.
Construction of the new library began in 1950 and the building was completed in 1953. An annex was added in 1974 with substantial space for new stacks to hold the growing collection that was larger than the original building could accommodate.
Main Library anchors the south end of South Quadrangle. A massive limestone portico with square columns faces the quadrangle. Limestone pilasters and horizontal cornice and base bands are featured on the side elevations with a minimal amount of red brick. In a nod to Modern architectural expression, windows of the three-story building are grouped vertically to create a strong element in the wall, which appear to have been echoed in the 1967 Law Library nearby. Original windows have been replaced with metal windows that appear to replicate the historic window muntin patterns.
The 1974 addition to the rear of the building is massive in form, the appearance of which is accentuated as the slope falls away toward Baldwin Street. The interior of main library has been renovated but retains its historic character in its primary public spaces. Despite alterations, the original building retains integrity and appears to contribute to a National Register-eligible historic district. It is assessed as a Category 2 resource.
Landscape Resources
Landscape features associated with North Campus include South Quadrangle, a highly significant open space composed of turf lawn, shade, evergreen, and ornamental trees, foundation plantings, sculptural objects, paved walks, lighting, benches, and views, and the President’s Club Garden.
South Quadrangle (twentieth century, Category 2). This open space is listed as contributing to the Old North Campus Historic District in the National Register nomination. The open space of the quadrangle as defined by building alignments and orientation as well as tree plantings, as well as the character of the lush plantings, paths, sculptural elements, benches, and lighting, contribute to the character of North Campus and help to convey the particular sense of place that helps define the University of Georgia as a whole. The South Quadrangle retains integrity and appears to contribute to a National Register-eligible historic district. It is assessed as a Category 2 resource.
