Inside Widener Library

This plan for Widener Library shows how it was mapped over the existing structure of Gore Hall.

Although Horace Trumbauer is often credited for the design and plan of Widener Library, African-American architect Julian Francis Abele was the chief architect of the Trumbauer Architectural Firm at the time of Widener's construction.

Abele rarely signed any documents related to the construction of Widener. However, this letter from Librarian William Coolidge Lane to Julian Abele shows that Abele was actively involved in the design process, and that Lane viewed him as the chief architect for the building.

Similarly, Eleanor Elkins Widener, pictured here on the left, is seldom acknowledged for the active role she played in shaping Widener Library.

A letter from John Stetson to Lawrence Lowell from the time of the donation shows that Eleanor Elkins Widener was the lead figure behind donating her son's collection of books. "She and she alone" was responsible for the bequest.

In addition to her son's bequest, she donated in excess of three million dollars to build the Widener Memorial Library to house her son's collection of rare books. She carefully oversaw how the funds were used and the design process for the building.

Eleanor Elkins Widener also set aside a large endowment for on-going maintenance and the acquisition of new books. She retained absolute discretion over this fund until her death in 1937.

Construction on Widener began in 1913 and took roughly two years to complete. Early photos of the undertaking show the intense manual labor involved in creating this cornerstone of Harvard's campus.

Widener Library has gone through several developments both during Eleanor Elkins Widener's lifetime and after. Following World War I, American artist John Singer Sargent was commissioned to paint two grand murals commemorating the Harvard alumni who fought and died in the war.

The left panel, entitled "Death and Victory" and right panel, entitled "Entering the War," are situated on either side of the grand staircase leading to the Memorial Room and up to the Loker Reading Room.

Several rare book collections were donated to Harvard after the opening of Widener. Eventually the original rare books reading room had to be expanded. This image shows the plan for constructing a new treasure room, now named Houghton Library, just east of Widener.

New additions to Widener's rare book collections included one of only forty-eight surviving copies of the Gutenberg Bible, the first book printed using the moveable type in Europe. It was donated to Harvard by George Widener and Eleanor Widener Dixon (the two younger siblings of Harry Widener) in 1944.

While the majority of the text was printed using the moveable type, the chapter headings and capital letters were ornamented in color by hand. And the pages were decorated with various abstract designs.

Since its inauguration, Widener Library has been an academic and social hub on campus. The main reading room (now the Loker Reading Room) was regularly crowded with eager students.

Beyond research, Widener was an incredibly social space where students gathered, debated, and even sun-bathed.

Because of Widener's size, it was an important gathering space not only for Harvard's students, but for the Cambridge community. Photographed here is a public firebombing drill held during World War II.

Widener continues to be a space of active learning. Here we see office hours for one of Harvard's largest classes: Computer Science 50, Intro to Computer Science.

Students gather and study together in the communal space of Loker Reading Room.

Elsewhere, Widener plays host to a number of events, including a welcome day for first-year librarians on campus.

...or an event in honor of Widener Library's 100-year anniversary.

Widener's role on Harvard's campus continually grows. It is the center for digitization projects aimed at increasing the availability of Harvard's collections to academics, as well as the public. Here, imaging technician Mary Kocol photographs a 19th century Japanese scroll for online publication.

Ultimately, the Widener Memorial Library has remained an important feature of Harvard's campus. It has been home to rare book collections, studious students, celebratory events, and city-wide demonstrations. We invite you to explore Harvard Library's online collections to learn more about its history and on-going legacy: Digital Collections