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History
L ibrary in St. Robert's Administration Building, 1937.
The Library's History
Loyola College moved from Venice Boulevard to the Westchester campus in 1929. At that time the library occupied space on the main floor of St. Robert's Hall. In 1957 the library received funding for a building of its own, as a result of a gift from the Von's Foundation. The Charles Von der Ahe Library, named for its principal donor and founder of the Von's grocery chain, opened to the public in fall 1959. Designed by Albert C. Martin and Associates, the building comprised 42,000 gross square feet to house 150,000 volumes with seating for 362 patrons in reading room seating, individual study carrels, and 12 closed faculty study rooms.
In 1968 Loyola University merged with Marymount College and the Marymount students moved to the Westchester campus. It became clear that the university needed expanded facilities, to provide study space for the additional students and the university's growing library collections and services. Albert C. Martin and Associates designed the addition to the Von der Ahe Library, which opened in 1980. The addition added the popular atrium and fountain to the library and increased the gross square footage to 88,427. Seating capacity increased to 656 and collection capacity increased to 183,729.
Charles Von der Ahe Library, atrium fountain, 2003.
In 2006, the university began planning a new library for the Westchester campus. Located on the bluff between the Jesuit Community and the Leavey Residence Halls, the new William H. Hannon Library was designed and built by AECOM. It opened in July 2009, with its grand opening celebration planned for August 30. Named for long-time LMU benefactor and Distinguished Alumnus William H. Hannon, the new library is comprised of 120,928 square feet, with three levels above ground and a two-story basement below ground for high density collections storage. The building increases seating to 865, with a variety of seating for students, faculty, and staff. The upper-level stacks hold 250,000 volumes and the basement can store an additional 1 million volumes.
For more information about the history of LMU libraries, the University Archivist has written a detailed account .
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