Something about the Nature of Architecture: The History of the Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library

Rudolph Reading Room

View of Rudolph Reading Room, 1960s

Transformations to the Rudolph Reading Room, a double-height open study area within the library, reflect the stages of modification and restoration as use of the building progressed over time. 

In addition to providing a serene, airy space for readers, a feature of this room is the interplay with the Rudolph Hall exhibition gallery above, to the West. In that space, a massive floor to ceiling window - a glass wall - looks East, down into the library's reading room, and outside and across to Kahn's own wall of glass (the exterior to his extension of the University Art Gallery). However, this important link between spaces internal and external, one of many cross-connecting points in the building's design, was for decades hidden behind temporary surfaces used for display in the gallery. (At some point, to make additional space for exhibition and to simulate the "white box" gallery, all surfaces including the glass wall were covered). The panels that covered the glass were finally removed in the summer of 2000 coinciding with an exhibition of Ezra Stoller's 1963 photographs of the building, and as fundraising and planning for a complete renovation and addition was gaining momentum. This aided the once unpopular notion that the building could be restored to its former glory with careful study.

View of Rudolph Reading Room from mezzanine (early 2000s)

In the 1990s and early 2000s the Rudolph Reading Room barely resembled the visual references provided in old images. We can see reading tables and shelving occupying most of the space.

At the North end of the reading room a mezzanine offers secluded study space for graduate students. Early photographs show plants growing over the mezzanine ledge and down toward the reading room where the card catalog was situated. Large potted plants and trees can also be seen in early photographs. At the corner where the Rudolph Reading Room met the courtyard area, a sculpture stood for many years. 

In 2008, the reading room was restored to its former state and further enhanced for library users. The central area was cleared of desks and computers. The original design and layout for reading tables was again referenced. Though the Thonet Bentwood chairs that were first used were not brought back, Matteo Grassi armchairs were added instead, here and throughout other library study areas. Across from the Rudolph-designed cushioned benches which line reading tables, new Marcel Breuer Laccio coffee tables and cantilever chairs were added, complementary elements from the same era of design. 

View of the Rudolph Reading Room and Architecture Gallery from the Arts Library mezzanine (1960s)

Rudolph Reading Room, 1960s 

View of the Rudolph Reading Room (1960s) where it met the courtyard area. Pictured on the left is a sculpture that stood for many years.