Geisel Library
| Geisel Library | |
|---|---|
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| Former names | Central Library, University Library |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Brutalist / Futurist |
| Town or city | La Jolla, California |
| Country | United States of America |
| Coordinates | 32°52′52″N 117°14′15″W / 32.8812°N 117.2375°WCoordinates: 32°52′52″N 117°14′15″W / 32.8812°N 117.2375°W |
| Construction started | 1968 |
| Completed | 1970 |
| Renovated | 1993 |
| Cost | $5,120,000 |
| Client | University of California, San Diego |
| Height | 110 ft. |
| Dimensions | |
| Diameter | 200 ft. |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Reinforced concrete |
| Floor count | 8 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | William L. Pereira & Associates |
| Structural engineer | Brandow & Johnston |
| Services engineer | Frumhoff & Cohen (electrical) J.L. Hengstler & Associates (mechanical) |
| Main contractor | Nielsen Construction Swinerton Builders |
Geisel Library is the main library building of the University of California, San Diego Library. It is named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. The building's distinctive Brutalist architecture has resulted in its being featured in the UC San Diego logo and becoming the most recognizable building on campus.
The library was designed by William Pereira and opened in 1970 as the Central Library. It was renovated in 1993 and rededicated as the University Library Building, and renamed Geisel Library in 1995. The UC San Diego Library consists of Geisel Library and the Biomedical Library Building, with off-campus locations at Scripps Archives and Library Annex, the Trade Street Storage Annex, and the UC Southern Regional Library Facility.
Geisel Library is located in the center of the UC San Diego campus. It houses over 7 million volumes to support the educational and research objectives of the university. It also contains the Mandeville Special Collections and Archives, which houses the Dr. Seuss Collection. The Dr. Seuss Collection contains original drawings, sketches, proofs, notebooks, manuscript drafts, books, audio and videotapes, photographs, and memorabilia. The approximately 8,500 items in the collection document the full range of Dr. Seuss's creative achievements, beginning in 1919 with his high school activities and ending with his death in 1991.
In 1958, Roger Revelle's efforts to establish an Institute of Science and Engineering adjacent to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography were spearheaded by his desire to immediately construct a science and library building on the present Revelle College site. When the university was eventually constructed, university librarian Melvin Voigt devised a plan to purchase books for the three new UC campuses: UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Irvine. The first Science and Engineering Library in Urey Hall satisfied the science-focused school's needs. However, as faculty recruits began to found social science and humanities departments, it became clear to Chancellor John Semple Galbraith that the time had come to establish the campus's main library collections. One of the conditions of Galbraith's acceptance of the UCSD chancellorship had been that UCSD would house one of the three great libraries of the UC system. To accomplish this end, he formed a committee which commissioned architect William L. Pereira to prepare a master plan for the University Center and its focal point, the Central Library.
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