The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Lincoln Library

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Lincoln Library (1968), Lake Erie College

Institution Name: Lake Erie College
Original/Historic Place Name: James F. Lincoln Library
Location on Campus: Center of Campus
Date(s) of Construction:

1966	original construction Christ-Janer, Victor

Designer: Victor Christ-Janer, New Canaan, CT
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Modern/post-WWII (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, education
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation:

Walls:

Roof: aluminum panels over a steel frame

Function:

ca. 1966	chapel (meditation)
ca. 1966-present (2006)	other (offices)
ca. 1966-present (2006)	library
ca. 2004-present (2006)	academic department building (media center, learning resource center, computer labs)

Narrative:
The James F. Lincoln Library, designed by Victor Christ-Janer, opened in 1966 and the next year won a design award from the Reynolds Aluminum Company and a $25,000 prize for the architect for its innovative use of aluminum panels over a steel frame.

The library, of random block design, was built to resemble stacked books. It has three floors with what was formerly a meditation chapel (now a storage room for rare books) in the center. The main floors house the reference and periodicals departments, two computer laboratories, and offices. Stacks are located in the basement and on upstairs levels. With the exception of the addition of the computer laboratories and changed use for the meditation chapel, the structure and use of the library has changed little since it was built.

References: