Houghton Library

In 1938 Keyes D. Metcalf, Librarian of Harvard College and Director of the Harvard University Library (1937–1955), proposed a separate library building for rare books and manuscripts, based on the policy of decentralization of collections as a means of controlling the growth of Widener Library. In addition, Metcalf advocated the need for an air-conditioned building with controlled temperature and humidity for the preservation of materials. At that time the rare books were housed on the ground floor of Widener and part of the stacks adjacent to the rare book reading room, which was known as the Treasure Room (the area is currently by the Periodicals Reading Room). Through the generosity of Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., Harvard Class of 1929, Harvard became the first American university to construct a separate research facility for the housing and study of rare books and manuscripts. The Boston architectural firm of Perry, Shaw, and Hepburn designed a classic neo-Georgian building, incorporating what was then state-of-the-art technology for climate control, air filtration, security, and the shelving of materials. The Houghton Library, dedicated and opened in 1942, won major architectural awards and became a model for other such research libraries.