The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Edmund Stanley Library

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Edmund Stanley Library (general view), Friends University

Edmund Stanley Library (interior), Friends University

Edmund Stanley Library (sculpture by Bernard Frazier), Friends University

Institution Name: Friends University
Original/Historic Place Name: Friends University Library (previously located in Russel Hall in Davis)
Location on Campus: 2100 W. University St.
Date(s) of Construction:

1969-1970

original construction Benedick, Glenn E.

Designer: Glenn E. Benedick (Kansas City, KS)
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Modern/post-WWII (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, culture, history
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: concrete deck

Walls: part brick, part plaster and lathe

Roof: modified roof

Function:

1970-present (2006)

library (originally a small university resource center that was the repository for books, periodicals and all types of media; now library and 5 percent non-library scheduled functions: classes, meetings and social events)

Narrative:
Edmund Stanley Library exemplifies architecture of the 1960s and is architecturally unique compared to other buildings on Friends University's campus. It was opened in 1970 and is named after the first president of the University, Edmund Stanley, who served from 1898-1918.

The building prominently features four distinct large statuary pieces designed by Bernard Frazier (d. 1976). They include Faith, Perception, Empathy, and Intellect and are located at the four corners of the building surrounded by brick walls. The building also houses the Quaker Room and the Mid-America Yearly Meeting Archives, which contain a variety of historical, cultural, genealogical, and other types of information.

References: