Mary Reed Hall
Encyclopedia
Mary Reed Hall is located on the University of Denver
campus in Denver, Colorado
south west of University Hall. It was built in 1932 as a new library to replace the Andrew S. Carnegie library
. The building
, named after Mary D. Reed (Mrs. Verner Z. Reed), was first used in January 1933. When the current Penrose Library was built in 1972, the building was decommissioned. The Mary Reed Building now houses administrative offices, including those of the chancellor
and provost
.
natives, Mary Reed and her husband Verner Reed moved to Colorado in 1893. Verner Reed was very prosperous from mining
, ranching, banking and irrigation
in Colorado. When he died in April 1919, he left his wife Mary with an estate
worth $20 million, equal to nearly $400 million today. Mary Reed used the money acquired from the estate and donated nearly $500,000 to the university
to fund and construct a new library. Over the years, Reed added more than $200,000 to her previous contributions, served on the Board of Trustees and received an honorary degree in 1939. Mary Reed died in April 1945.
and that had a view of the Rocky Mountains
. Denver local, Harry J. Manning was selected by Reed to be the architect
for the building.
of the money was dedicated in a three-day celebration in October 1932. A. Danielson & Son were selected to construct the building and the process began on September 5, 1931. The red bricks used on the Mary Reed Building were specially made by Denver Sewer Pipe and Clay Company and Indiana limestone. With a 126 feet (38.4 m) central tower, the building was supposed to reflect a modified collegiate gothic
style structure. On February 12, 1932, the Mary Reed Building’s cornerstone
was laid.
In the summer of 2008, construction
workers spent time tuck-pointing the building. This process involves replacing old mortar in order to better bind the bricks together. The hope is that this process will allow the Mary Reed Building to stand strong for the next 100 years.
railings with aluminum caps, exhibit cases, cathedral
lights specially designed with bronze
and iron, and terrazzo stairways and corner halls. The building holds a number of seminar and conference rooms, along with administrative offices. A Renaissance Room was opened for students to read and browse books. Furthermore, there was a treasure room mainly for rare books and manuscripts and exhibit rooms for archaeology and art displays. Mary Reed’s portrait
hangs in the Renaissance Room in honor of a request she made before her death and to remind the public of her generosity to the University of Denver. The back of the building is home to the Harper Humanities Garden, which features a number of fountains, which connect the Mary Reed Building to the Evans Chapel.
ly woman, and alarms going off when the building is deserted. There are even reports that a chair in the old library often feels warms as though someone just sat in it when, in fact, it had been empty for hours. Because of these spooky experiences, it is common for staff to refuse to enter the building late at night.
Some believe that the spirit is Mary Reed herself haunting the building. Others think that it is University of Denver alumna Margery Reed, who died in 1925. The DuPont room, in which a ghost has been reported, is said to be haunted by Marcella Miller DuPont, who made a donation for a study room in the Mary Reed Building.
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
campus in Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
south west of University Hall. It was built in 1932 as a new library to replace the Andrew S. Carnegie library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
. The building
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
, named after Mary D. Reed (Mrs. Verner Z. Reed), was first used in January 1933. When the current Penrose Library was built in 1972, the building was decommissioned. The Mary Reed Building now houses administrative offices, including those of the chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
and provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
.
Mary and Verner Reed
OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
natives, Mary Reed and her husband Verner Reed moved to Colorado in 1893. Verner Reed was very prosperous from mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, ranching, banking and irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
in Colorado. When he died in April 1919, he left his wife Mary with an estate
Estate (law)
An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...
worth $20 million, equal to nearly $400 million today. Mary Reed used the money acquired from the estate and donated nearly $500,000 to the university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
to fund and construct a new library. Over the years, Reed added more than $200,000 to her previous contributions, served on the Board of Trustees and received an honorary degree in 1939. Mary Reed died in April 1945.
Planning
Planning for the library began in 1931 after Mary Reed made her donation to the university. The University of Denver chose a site that was centrally located on campusCampus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
and that had a view of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. Denver local, Harry J. Manning was selected by Reed to be the architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
for the building.
Construction
The building was funded by $500,000 donated by Mary Reed. The donationDonation
A donation is a gift given by physical or legal persons, typically for charitable purposes and/or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including cash, services, new or used goods including clothing, toys, food, and vehicles...
of the money was dedicated in a three-day celebration in October 1932. A. Danielson & Son were selected to construct the building and the process began on September 5, 1931. The red bricks used on the Mary Reed Building were specially made by Denver Sewer Pipe and Clay Company and Indiana limestone. With a 126 feet (38.4 m) central tower, the building was supposed to reflect a modified collegiate gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style structure. On February 12, 1932, the Mary Reed Building’s cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
was laid.
In the summer of 2008, construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
workers spent time tuck-pointing the building. This process involves replacing old mortar in order to better bind the bricks together. The hope is that this process will allow the Mary Reed Building to stand strong for the next 100 years.
Features
The Mary Reed Building is 63761 square feet (5,923.6 m²) and has four stories. The facility boasts gothic arches and windows, wrought-ironWrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
railings with aluminum caps, exhibit cases, cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
lights specially designed with bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
and iron, and terrazzo stairways and corner halls. The building holds a number of seminar and conference rooms, along with administrative offices. A Renaissance Room was opened for students to read and browse books. Furthermore, there was a treasure room mainly for rare books and manuscripts and exhibit rooms for archaeology and art displays. Mary Reed’s portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
hangs in the Renaissance Room in honor of a request she made before her death and to remind the public of her generosity to the University of Denver. The back of the building is home to the Harper Humanities Garden, which features a number of fountains, which connect the Mary Reed Building to the Evans Chapel.
Ghosts
The Mary Reed Building has been said to be haunted for many years. The custodial staff often reports strange happenings within the historic building. Examples include books being strewn around locked rooms, sightings of a ghostGhost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
ly woman, and alarms going off when the building is deserted. There are even reports that a chair in the old library often feels warms as though someone just sat in it when, in fact, it had been empty for hours. Because of these spooky experiences, it is common for staff to refuse to enter the building late at night.
Some believe that the spirit is Mary Reed herself haunting the building. Others think that it is University of Denver alumna Margery Reed, who died in 1925. The DuPont room, in which a ghost has been reported, is said to be haunted by Marcella Miller DuPont, who made a donation for a study room in the Mary Reed Building.
See also
- University of DenverUniversity of DenverThe University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
- Robert CoombeRobert CoombeRobert Coombe is a chemist and an educator. He has been a faculty member at the University of Denver since 1981. In 2005 he became the chancellor of the university.-Education and Work Background:...
- Denver BooneDenver BooneDenver Boone was the official mascot of the University of Denver from 1968 to 1998. He was designed by a Walt Disney artist and named by a DU student. Despite being retired and replaced by the DU administration in 1998, he was revived by independent members of the DU student and alumni community in...
- Newman Center
- Daniels College of BusinessDaniels College of BusinessThe Daniels College of Business is one of twelve graduate programs at the University of Denver. Founded in 1908, the Daniels College of Business is the eighth oldest business school in the United States...
- Josef Korbel School of International StudiesJosef Korbel School of International StudiesThe Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver is a professional school in international affairs offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral opportunities. It is a full member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs , a grouping of...