Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Below, please find a sampling of photos available for media use of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s renovated Library
Reading Room. All pictures are available for download at: www.wisconsinhistory.org/pressroom/photos. Follow the Wisconsin
Historical Society building link.
For questions or more information, please contact Elizabeth Kelly at (414) 390-5500, or ekelly@muellercommunications.com.
Picture Title: Room in 1900 Picture Title: Room Before, 2002 Picture Title: Room After, 2010
Recommended Caption: Opened in 1900, the Library Reading Room was modernized in 1955 and touched up again in 1967. By 2006,
obsolete systems and badly needed maintenance prompted Historical Society and state officials to undertake a seven-month, wholesale
renovation of one of the state’s most significant architectural gems. The Wisconsin Historical Society’s Library Reading Room is the second
largest library on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and contains one of the largest genealogical collections in the United States.
The Reading Room serves over 40,000 in-person visitors annually and provides wireless communications, electrical outlets for laptops,
computer workstations, access to digital collections, and a flexible study environment.
Recommended Caption: The renovated Library Reading Room already is popular with visitors. Library use was up 17 percent in March
2010 over the same month in 2009. Surrounding the central skylight, banks of ornately trimmed ceiling coffers with hanging lamps illuminate
the room, while re-creations of original bronze wall sconces light the room’s perimeter. The subtle tones of a historically appropriate paint
scheme complement the room’s Neoclassical architecture.
Picture Title: Desk Lighting Picture Title: Desk Lamp Picture Title: Pan Shot
Recommended Caption: Carefully selected furnishings add to the transformed Library Reading Room, featuring new and restored tables and
lounge furnishings, giving the space a warm and elegant character. Replicas of the massive brass table lamps that shone on the books of
students in 1900 look just like the originals, but now contain outlets in the bases to power laptop computers. The Wisconsin Historical
Society’s Library Reading Room has been in continuous use for 110 years. It houses over 3.8 million items in print and microform and is the
largest Wisconsin history library. Containing one of the most significant architectural spaces in the state, the Wisconsin Historical Society’s
headquarters building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Recommended Caption: Among major highlights, the Library Reading Room features a replicated stained-glass skylight in its 30-foot-high
ceiling and restored historical details that reverse a modernized 1955 alteration, which masked the ceiling details with translucent light
coverings. The Library Reading Room is an architectural gem in Madison, second only to the Wisconsin State Capitol.
Recommended Caption: The recently completed renovation of the Library Reading Room returns this historic space to its original grandeur
and offers modern technological amenities that will benefit members’ and patrons’ research. The renovation set out to create an effective
research environment for vistors, provide modern reasearchers with 21 st-century research tools and return the room to its original grandeur.
Recommended Caption: Historic preservation staff at the Wisconsin Historical Society worked closely with Isthmus Architecture, J.H.
Findorff and Son, and with numerous subcontractors to ensure the most historically accurate and faithful renovation possible.
816 State Street
Madison, WI 53706
(608) 264-6400
wisconsinhistory.org
LIBRARY READING ROOM FACT SHEET
Project Goals
The primary goal of the renovation was not only to preserve the Library Reading Room and protect the
essence of the original historic surroundings, but also to provide a room capable of meeting
contemporary needs and providing modern researchers with state-of-the-art research tools.
Library staff worked closely with Isthmus Architecture to create a modern library facility by designing
an environment that accommodates the volume and type of use by today’s researchers and visitors,
keeping the following details in mind:
The Library Reading Room is the second largest library on the University of Wisconsin-
Madison campus.
The Library Reading Room houses one of the largest genealogical collections in the United
States.
The Library Reading Room serves over 40,000 in-person visitors annually.
The Library Reading Room provides wireless communications, electrical outlets for laptops,
computer workstations, access to digital collections, and a flexible study environment.
Architect
Isthmus Architecture, Inc.
Design Team
Affiliated Engineers, Inc.
Structural Integrity, Inc
Contractors
J.H. Findorff & Son – General Contractor
Artisan Plastering and Karl Buschmann Ornamental Plaster (flat/decorative plaster)
Carley Wood Associates (built-in casework and furniture)
Franklin Art Glass Studios, Inc. (stained-glass skylight fabrication)
The Garland Guild, Inc. (decorative finishes)
H&H Industries, Inc.
Klein-Dickert (stained-glass skylight installation)
La Force, Inc.
North Shore Marble Maintenance
Sergenians Floor Coverings (carpet)
Superior Power, Inc.
Winona Lighting (period light fixtures)
Notable Facts
Building dedication: October 19, 1900
Original architect: Ferry & Clas, Milwaukee
Architectural style: Neoclassical Revival
Original function: The building housed the Wisconsin Historical Society and the University
library, as well as offices for the Society and classrooms for the University. The Library
Reading Room has been in continuous use for 110 years.
Organization: The Society was founded in 1846, two years before Wisconsin
became the 30th state, and it ranks as one of the largest, most active, and most
diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a
private membership organization, it receives about 65 percent of its funding from the
state of Wisconsin. The other 35 percent comes from membership fees, admission
fees, gifts, trust funds and grants. A 36-member Board of Curators governs the
Society.
Archives: The Society's archives collects manuscripts and artifacts from private
individuals and organizations. In addition to Wisconsin history, the holdings
include several collections of national scope:
The Society's archives also serves as the official depository for important state records, and holds extensive visual and sound
records, including more than a million historical photographs, posters, oral history recordings, and motion picture films.
Through a cooperative agreement with the University of Wisconsin System and the Superior Public Library, the archives
operates a network of area research centers located at UW campus libraries throughout the state, at the Northern Great Lakes
Visitor Center in Ashland, and the library in Superior, making its collections accessible statewide.
Library: The Society's library serves as the state historical library as well as the
U.S. and Canadian history library for the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Holdings include:
The library is designated as an official documents depository by the governments of Wisconsin, the United States and
Canada. It provides reference and information services in person, over the telephone, through the mail and on the Society's
Web site. It lends most of its materials to users in person and to other libraries throughout the state and the nation through
interlibrary loan.
– MORE –
Wisconsin Historical Society Fact Sheet Page 2
Historic Preservation-Public History: The Division of Historic Preservation-Public History helps people preserve places of
enduring value and presents a fresh perspective on history through publications, programs and services.
Enhance the teaching of state and local history in Wisconsin’s public and
private schools
Publish books for schools and the trade market that deal with the history of the
state and nation
Provide technical assistance and consulting services to more than 375 local
historical societies and museums
Publish the quarterly Wisconsin Magazine of History
Conduct the National History Day program for 10,000 high school and
middle school students
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