The Suzallo Reading room is the jewel of the University of Washington campus. Almost a cathedral like space. Like everything made by the white man in Washington State, nothing is very old, completed in 1926, but it's certainly the largest oldest grand space in the state.
From the University of Washington Libraries website
A highlight of Suzzallo Library is the Reading Room. Measuring 65 feet high, 52 feet wide, and 250 feet long, the Reading Room features a vaulted ceiling elaborately decorated with richly colored and gilded stenciling. The oak bookcases are topped with a hand-carved frieze representing native plants of Washington state. The tall, traceried windows incorporate leaded glass which is intended to break the direct rays of light. Medallions representing 28 different Renaissance watermarks are worked into the design. At each end of the Reading Room there is a hand-painted world globe suspended from the ceiling, each of which bears the names of different explorers.
I took the picture above during our Ilana-led tour. Some students are studying at the long wooden tables, most of the people in the shot are part of an official tour group that quietly filed in and out.
Two partially walled alcoves are at each end, the top shot looks towards the north alcove. In the south alcove, is a special large wooden desk with a chair and a lamp. The desk of Senator Warren G. Magnuson, he donated it to the university on his retirement. A recent copy of the New York Times sits on the desk. A sign announces that any student is welcome and encouraged to study at this desk at any time. Looks like a great place to get some work done...with some special moxie. The shot with Ilana shows her with kind of a funny face, but she's sitting at the desk.
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