Charles Deering Library West Entry Restoration

Firm: HBRA Architects, Inc.

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Client: Northwestern University

Contractor: W. B. Olsen

Consultants: WMA Consulting Engineers, Ltd., Rubinos & Mesia Engineers, Inc., Anne Kustner Lighting Design, Small Corp, Barsanti Millwork, O’Brien Metal, Quarra Stone Company, LLC

Photos: Mark Ballogg, Ballogg Photography

Upon completion of Northwestern’s University Library in 1970, James Gamble Rogers’s 1933 Deering Library’s front entrance was permanently closed. “So many historic buildings have closed-off entrances,” commented one juror on the Charles Deering Library West Entry Restoration. “To reopen [a closed entrance] is complex, and deals with circulation.”

Architects at HBRA produced an impressive reconstruction that involved an extensive list of work, including restoration of exterior lighting and finishes, new custom fixture detailing, matching historic masonry, accessibility, interior millwork and more. “The before and after photos are stunning,” one juror said. “Replacing materials from the existing fabric is meticulous.”