The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

E. W. King Library and Administration Building

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E. W. King Library and Administration Building (three-quarter view), King College

E. W. King Library and Administration Building (rear view), King College

E. W. King Library and Administration Building (detail, exterior brickwork), King College

Institution Name: King College
Original/Historic Place Name: E. W. King Library and Administration Building
Location on Campus: 2313 Tadlock Rd.
Date(s) of Construction:

1961	original construction Bothwell & Nash

Designer: Bothwell & Nash
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Colonial revival, Modern/post-WWII (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, education, history, religion
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: concrete

Walls: block, brick, and plaster

Roof: steel beams, concrete deck, and slate shingles

Function:

ca. 1961-present (2006)	library
ca. 1961-present (2006)	administration (business office, Accounting and Controller offices; Registrar's office; Dean of Faculty; the Advancement and President's Offices; other admissions offices were relocated to another building)

Narrative:
One very important architectural feature of the building is its numerous specially-shaped bricks, which set the standard for many buildings to follow with special shapes for window sills, corners, water tables, cornice work, etc. The campus was written up in a national publication of brick manufacturers for the quality of its appearance.

The seal of the Southern Presbyterian Church appears on the face of the library over the door. This seal became obsolete when the Southern Presbyterian church rejoined its northern version in 1984. Until 1979, King College had been an official college of the Southern Presbyterian denomination. After 1979, it became a college independent of any church control, but it has continued to maintain and build its relationships with the Presbyterian Church, USA, and with other denominations.

References:

Landscape Master Plan. Narrative and drawings. King College, Bristol, TN.

Selected items from Collection of Master Plans. 1917, 1931, 1952 and 1968. King College Archives, King College, Bristol, TN.

Thompson & Litton Architects. Master Plan [King College]. Narrative and drawings. [Wise, VA: Thompson & Litton Architects], October 1998 and 1999.