William Smith Morton Library

Union Presbyterian Seminary,
Richmond, Virginia

THE WILLIAM SMITH MORTON LIBRARY at the Union Presbyterian Seminary was created from the shell of Shauffler Hall, a castellated, Gothic-revival former chapel and classroom building, which was built in 1922 and designed by Baskervill and Son. Neo-Gothic architecture ties all of the buildings on this small campus together. Challenges included integrating new and old into a unified whole with a dramatic four-story atrium; cloaking new and flexible telecommunications technologies in comfortable and well-appointed reading rooms and study spaces; and creating a new scholastic center for the campus.

To accommodate the new library, the existing building was transformed into a larger structure encircling a light-filled atrium naturally lit by groin-vaulted louvers. The building has four levels and houses general collections, a variety of open and private study areas, a media resources library for audio and video collections, computerized automation areas, a children’s library, and technical and administrative offices.

Throughout the library, Christian and literary iconography are incorporated in the design of lamps, carpets, furnishings, and building elements.