This spring marks the 125th anniversary of Sheldon Library! While not the School’s first library, it was the School’s first library building.
Prior to Sheldon, the library was located in a (now vanished) building called the Big Study. Around 1890, Charles Knox, the librarian at the time, wrote: “the increasing weight of books upon the Library floor has already become a matter of solicitude.” Funds were scarce for a project of that scale, but the eventual need for a new library was clear.
Just a few years later, the School was approached by George R. Sheldon, who, along with his three siblings, offered to give the school a building to be known as Sheldon Library in memory of their father, William Crawford Sheldon, who had been a Trustee from 1877-1894. The School gratefully and eagerly accepted. The new library was designed by Ernest Flagg, who was well-known in Manhattan for his work in the Beaux-Arts style. It was built on the site of the old Miller’s House, which had been moved a few years earlier to Dunbarton Road. As the school grew over time, the location would prove to be central to student life.
Sheldon Library was dedicated on the June 5, 1901. For ninety years, the building faithfully served its purpose until, once again, the School recognized a need for a new library. Sheldon closed its doors as a library on December 12, 1990. From the Autumn 1990 issue of the Alumni Horae:
“Two students rushed up the granite steps to return some books at the last minute; then the lights on the porch were extinguished and the area was suddenly dark. The last student left the building. Ann Locke, assistant librarian, shut and locked the door, and the School stepped away from the past into the future”.
That future was Ohrstrom Library. But Sheldon was not abandoned. Over the years, it has been home to the Communications Department, and most recently, to the Admissions Team and the Building Beloved Community Office. With the Admissions team’s move to the new Fleischner Family Admissions Center, Sheldon has returned to its roots as a student-centered building. And after 125 years, it is safe to say that this building has been enjoyed by students of yesterday, today, and will continue to be into the coming generations.
Happy Anniversary to Sheldon!
Leave a Reply