A Tribute to Perseverance

Milner Library today stands as a tribute to the perseverance of a university. As plans were first made, the former Milner Library (now Williams Hall) was no longer adequate to meet the growing student body and expanding curricular needs of university.

The Illinois Board of Higher Education started Illinois State Normal University along a new path in the early 1960s. Previously dedicated to the training of teachers, the plan diversified the mission of ISNU to include the study of more subjects at all levels, as well as the establishment of graduate level studies, including doctoral degrees to prepare college professors. The term "Normal" was removed from the university name, and an ambitious program of growth began. Enrollment skyrocketed, from 3,200 students in 1958 to 13,000 in 1968, with a projection of up to 28,000 students by 1977. To match the growth of the student body, the campus and services had to expand. During this time, high-rise residence halls were constructed and plans were made for other campus buildings. A greatly expanded library was identified as a high priority.

In 1968, the ISU Board of Regents announced plans for a "Super Block" to be constructed between 1969 and 1971. This block, approximately the area bounded by College, Gregory, Main, and School streets, would be the site of the proposed student center-auditorium, classroom buildings, residence halls, and an $11 million library. In addition, five structures to park almost 7,000 cars were included in the plan.The architectural firm of Mackey and Murphy was hired to design the new library in February 1968. A preliminary design was presented at the July 1968 unveiling of plans for north campus. Mackey and Murphy was an established St. Louis, Missouri firm noted for the award winning Climatron geodesic dome conservatory at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. The firm had also designed numerous academic buildings, libraries, and religious structures. Projects included the 1963 Olin Library at Washington University in St. Louis and a library and an academic building at University of Missouri, St. Louis. Their Doherty Library at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, completed in 1967, looks quite similar to today’s Milner.

Mackey and Murphy proposed a steel-reinforced square faced with expanses of glass, chosen to complement the older buildings of the campus while making a modern statement. The cantilevered floors were the key design element. The design is clearly grounded in the "International Style" of architecture that developed in Europe in the early twentieth century. This style is typified by the guiding principle of functionalism—that a good building is one that serves its purpose without unnecessary ornamentation and elaboration. Modern construction methods also allowed a shift away from a massive and dense style to one more airy and voluminous, as the large windows at the corners of Milner and the open center stairwell demonstrate. The exterior surfaces of International Style buildings are used for texture and to stress horizontal and vertical lines, rather than to support the structure. Milner also demonstrates the use of regularity in design, with each floor having essentially the same plan, and a module of twenty-six feet repeated throughout the building. The plans also included a plaza that would connect the library to the student center/auditorium designed by Evan and Associates. The building was also planned to accommodate additions to the east, and the lack of interior load bearing walls promised flexibility in floor plan.

In September 1968, a $116.2 million budget request for 1969-71 was submitted. This figure included construction costs for most of north campus. The student center/auditorium was to be funded by bonds, and the process to issue bonds and contract the work began almost immediately. Everything seemed to be falling into place. On September 30, 1968, the Board of Higher Education unexpectedly cut the budget request by two-thirds, questioning the need for structures to support the programs mandated by the new mission—and the mission itself. Only the library survived. Plans were approved in May 1969, and the funds were included in the budget request for 1969-70. The academic year of 1969-70 began well, with $8 million appropriated for new library construction, less than the $11 million requested, but enough to move forward. However, no progress was made during perhaps the most tumultuous year in ISU history (as it was at many other universities). Along with the rest of the country, ISU faced the Vietnam War, protested racism, and was embroiled in labor disputes. By 1970, the State of Illinois was suffering financial problems. Governor Richard Ogilvie ordered a freeze on all construction at state universities and established a task force to review the twenty projects underway, including ISU’s library. New guidelines for building on state university campuses were issued. Budgets were slashed, and many projects cancelled. Milner emerged relatively unscathed from the review, though the budget was trimmed to $7.2 million, and design changes mandated.

The original architects, Mackey and Murphy, had separated since they completed the earlier plans, so one of the successor firms, Murphy, Downey, 1Wofford, and Richman, still practicing in St. Louis today, took over. The architects added 2,500 square feet of space, eliminated skylights on the roof and plaza, revised the roof and duct work plans, opened the enclosed study areas, and eliminated light fixtures. The design was also modified to be as cost effective as possible. It was projected that the building could be built in two years at $26.24 per square foot, far below the national average of $37 per square foot. In March 1972, the revised plans were approved and bids were sought to build the library at last. In July 1972, Gamble Construction of St. Louis was awarded the general contract—submitting a bid lower than projected. The savings made funds available to purchase shelving for the new facility. On July 21, 1972, the groundbreaking ceremony took place after a four-year delay. DeGarmo Hall and the Center for Visual Arts were also begun at this time. By 1973, these two buildings and the student center/auditorium (begun in 1970) were ready for use. Milner and what is now called the Bone Student Center/Braden Auditorium were the only survivors of the 1968 north campus master plan.

However, Milner was to be plagued with delays once more. The two-year construction was stretched into four as weather complicated construction, labor disputes led to strikes, and financial woes forced the general contractor into bankruptcy. Fruin-Colnon took over as general contractor in 1975. Finally, in July 1976, eight years after the first plans were drawn, Milner opened its doors—two weeks ahead of schedule and carrying a final price tag of $8,338,743. Measuring 182 feet in each side of the square footprint and a gross of 224,474 square feet, the new library had the capacity to hold 800,000 volumes and had 2,733 chairs, 2,063 carrels, 176 faculty studies, 117 tables, and 12 conference rooms. The story of the building does not end here. In 1981, the State of Illinois filed a lawsuit against the contractors over the leaking plaza and roof, and this problem continues to this day. Now, the library has reached capacity, even with many of the chairs, carrels, and studies replaced with shelving. In 2000, plans were developed to renovate the interior, with the front portion of Floor 2 completed in 2001. Preparation of an off-site storage facility is also underway.

The construction of the new Milner lasted through four university presidents, several revisions of the mission of the university, the turbulent years of the late 1960s and early 1970s, a state fiscal crisis, strikes, snow, rain, and other problems. The complete building was a great addition to a campus that grew from the small teacher training school to the large, comprehensive Illinois State University of today.

Information for this article was gathered from newspaper articles appearing in the Bloomington Pantagraph and the Illinois State University student newspaper Vidette. The author would like to thank Gary Thiel for his helpful advice and the Bloomington Public Library for providing an excellent index to the Pantagraph.

This article originally appeared in the September 2001 issue of Milner Memos, Milner Library, Illinois State University, under the title "If You Build It They Will Come."
All photographs copyright by Milner Library, Illinois State University.