Masonry Magazine July 1973 Page. 22
AWARD
WINNING
LIBRARIES
Providence College Library
Photography by Franklin Wing
The scale of a 111,513 sq. ft. masonry structure in Providence, Rhode Island, and its use of color were rated outstanding by a national Library Building Awards Jury when they selected it as one of top library designs in the U.S. The Jury was sponsored by the American Institute of Architects, the American Library Association, and the National Book Committee.
The Providence College Library was designed by Kenneth DeMay (of Sasaki, Dawson, DeMay Associates). Architect DeMay was Principal-In-Charge with John Molloy as Project Architect. They designed the combined library and study facility, which holds up to 670,000 volumes, as part of a long-range master plan for the College.
It was built by General and Mason Contractor Dimeo Construction Co., with masonry by craftsmen of BM&PIU Local 1-Rhode Island.
In citing their "enthusiastic choice," the Award Jury said, "The expression of the structural system, choice of materials, and integration of the mechanical systems are sensitively handled."
The International Masonry Institute reports that the building required 180,000 Morin waterstruck brick in combination with a sand-blasted, buff, poured-in-place concrete frame. These materials relate the building visually to the brick and limestone used throughout the campus. Scored pumice-block and brick partitions carry the masonry mood into the interior of the award-winning library.