USA

Exterior of a modernist tower surrounded by lower buildings with an arched portico.

Caltech Hall (Millikan Library)

Rising above the campus of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, this library once named for a problematic figure is now dedicated to the college community as a whole.
Exterior of a brick Modernist library. The words "G. Flint Purdy Library" are displayed in white letters on the facade.

Wayne State University Libraries

Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan is a fine example of an early modern American campus.
Interior of a Beaux-Arts library building, showing a large mural depicting the bust of a man holding allegories of scientific achievements.

Detroit Public Library

Cass Gilbert's Beaux-Arts masterpiece was a key element of Detroit's City Beautiful aspirations.
Exterior view of a brick and concrete brutalist library, showing a variety of shapes and forms. A person walks on a sidewalk in front.

Robert H. Goddard Library, Clark University, Worcester MA

Named after a rocket scientist and prefiguring the architectural trends of the future, the Robert H. Goddard Library truly is a building for the Space Age.
Alameda County Law Library, Oakland

Alameda County Law Library, Oakland

In beautiful downtown Oakland, California, the walls of this former car showroom have seen the joy of ballroom dancers and the injustice of interned Japanese Americans. Now it is dedicated to universal access to justice.
Berkeley Law Library

Berkeley Law Library

From wine cellar to midcentury modern glory, bespoke furniture and a problematic name: the UC Berkeley Law library's legacy.
C.V. Starr East Asian Library, UC Berkeley

C.V. Starr East Asian Library, UC Berkeley

A tour through the C.V. Starr East Asian Library on the University of California Berkeley campus.