Future

Battle Hall Reading Room interior, view looking south
Battle Hall Reading Room interior, view looking south

Battle Hall: A Landmark of History, Beauty, and Inspiration

A landmark of American architecture, Cass Gilbert’s Battle Hall stands as a reminder of the University of Texas’ early commitment to creating a campus environment that inspires excellence. One hundred years later, students, the UT community, and campus visitors are drawn to its monumental reading room for quiet study and the simple appreciation of a unique and venerable space at The University of Texas at Austin. While generations of students in all disciplines have enjoyed Battle Hall’s setting and interiors, its use as the Architecture and Planning Library is especially fitting for such an important building.

A World-Class Library for a World-Class School

As the physical nexus of one of the largest academic libraries and a top-tier school of architecture and planning (also entering its second century at UT), Battle Hall’s importance to the University and State of Texas goes beyond its elegant design and bricks, mortar, and ornament. The building is the subject of and setting for important research and intellectual exploration of the built environment through its vast holdings of books, special collections, and archives. Its stacks comprise a preeminent collection of architecture and design books, journals, and reference materials that attract scholars from around the world. The Alexander Architectural Archives is one of the leading collections of its kind in the country and is especially strong in materials related to modern American and Texas architecture.

Supporting the Next 100 Years of Excellence

Since its earliest days as an academic department, a well-resourced library has been an essential component of the School of Architecture at The University of Texas. Over the last century, the Library has evolved alongside the School and is vital to its ability to teach generations of leading scholars and practitioners. The Library supports the School in an integral way and continues to provide an invaluable resource for knowledge and inspiration.

Philanthropy has played an essential role in the success and prestige of the School of Architecture, and giving to the Architecture and Planning Library is a lasting investment that benefits two important divisions of the University of Texas at Austin. Moreover, private support enables projects that extend the reach and holdings of the Library in the digital age. To continue building its collection for the 21st century scholar and launch innovative programs and exhibitions, the Library and School seek a range of gifts:

  • Endowed and one-time acquisition funds for books, subscriptions, special collections, and archival materials and collections enhancement
  • Endowments to support ongoing special programs
  • Exhibition funding
  • Funding to support digital innovation and information technology resources
  • Research assistantships for graduate students in the School of Architecture and School of Information who work in the Library and Alexander Architectural Archives
  • Endowed excellence funds and unrestricted gifts for special initiatives of the Head Librarian and Curator

This online exhibition, as well as the original exhibition featured in the Battle Hall reading room, was funded in part by The Young Boozer Family Foundation. The Young Boozer Family Foundation has generously supported undergraduate students and Graduate Research Assistants' experiential learning through library and archival projects since 2003.

Please visit our giving opportunities site for information about supporting University of Texas Libraries' Architectural Collections through efforts to process, preserve, and increase free and open global access.