LeRoy Cowles Building

Gazing at this stately structure, can you imagine it brimming with students poring over books? The LeRoy Cowles Building, right here on Presidents Circle, has seen many transformations since its birth in 1900. Originally christened the Library Building, it housed the University of Utah’s collection of 12,950 volumes. Imagine students bustling through these doors, eager to unlock knowledge within the L-shaped reading room. This building, one of the first three on this east bench campus, was designed by Richard Kletting in the Second Renaissance Revival style. Note the rusticated sandstone foundations and the hard-pressed brick walls. They echo the design of the nearby Physical Science Building. But the LeRoy Cowles Building possesses a unique charm. Its entrance, adorned with two Ionic columns supporting a portico, frames a double-arched doorway, setting it apart. In 1913, the library outgrew this space and moved to the newly built Park Building. The “L” Building, as it became affectionately known, then housed the Liberal Arts Department. The building adapted again in 1951, becoming home to the Mathematics Department. For twenty-four years, mathematical minds filled these halls, pondering equations and theorems. Finally, in 1975, the baton was passed to the Communications Department, the building’s principal occupant to this day. Despite these shifts in purpose, the LeRoy Cowles Building retains much of its original character. Inside, the wooden joists remain exposed, a testament to its history. Outside, the structure has weathered time gracefully, with only the original wooden front doors replaced by metal replicas. In 1980, the Alumni Association officially named this landmark after LeRoy E. Cowles, the University’s sixth president. He led the institution through the tumultuous years of World War II, a period of significant change and growth for the University. So, as you stand before the LeRoy Cowles Building, remember the whispers of students, professors, and presidents who have walked these halls. From library to liberal arts, from mathematics to communications, this building stands as a symbol of the University’s ever-evolving pursuit of knowledge.