Meet the new
Allen Library Meet the new
Allen Library Meet the new
Allen Library

The new Kenneth S. Allen Library opened its doors Fall Quarter to unequivocal praise from librarians, faculty, students and local architecture critics. Named after the late Kenneth S. Allen, associate director of UW libraries from 1960 to 1982, the 215,000-square-foot building is connected to Suzzallo Library's east end.

In designing the $38-million project, New York architect Edward Larrabee Barnes promised “it will be almost as contextual as it can be.” The two-year construction effort included extensive landscaping of the HUB Yard. It was built with $36 million in state funds and with $2 million from a $10 million gift to the libraries by Kenneth Allen’s son, Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft and president and chairman of Asymetrix Corp.

Campus photographer Davis Freeman takes you on a tour of the stunning new facility.

A view of the Allen Library through a window at the HUB. The rectangular-shaped south wing houses the UW natural sciences library. The UW archives and special collections are preserved underground.

A special meeting space, the Arcade Room, sits above the bridge linking the Allen’s two wings. It features a stone fireplace, panoramic views and contemporary chandeliers.

A portion of the west facade of the library.

The arcade, a “covered street” with an 80-foot ceiling, preserves pedestrian patterns by splitting the Allen into two wings.

Sunlight pours into the arcade.

A west view of the library.

An east view of the library.

The lobby of the Allen features a round information desk, computer terminals instead of card catalogs, and a glassed-in exhibition balcony.

Kenneth Allen and his legacy

The largest gift ever received from an individual by the University of Washington—$10 million—created the Kenneth S. Allen Library Endowment. Given in 1988 by Paul Allen, son of Kenneth Allen and a co-founder of Microsoft, the income will be used to enhance collections and programs of the University of Washington Libraries in perpetuity. Part of the gift was also used to complete construction of the Kenneth S. Allen Library.

Kenneth Allen was associate director of the University of Washington Libraries for 20 years. He and Faye Allen, who met in sixth grade and married after he returned from service during World War II, came to Seattle in 1949 so that he could attend the UW. He received a degree in library science in 1951. “It was an unusual career choice for a man,” his wife says, but they shared a common love of books, as does everyone in their family. (Their personal library is estimated at 15,000 volumes.)

Kenneth Allen chose between becoming an athletic coach and becoming a librarian for his career. Tall and athletic, he played basketball and football in high school and also was a member of the track team. Faye Allen laughs as she recalls, “He thought that being a librarian would be less stressful than being a coach, but when you’re in administration, you don’t get to sit and contemplate.” She particularly remembers the 1960s as a stressful time when her husband would be called to the campus at 2 a.m. because of a bomb threat. “But he enjoyed people,” she says, “and he was devoted to the library.”

After finishing his degree in librarianship, Kenneth Allen joined the library’s reference staff. During his three decades at the University, he served as chief of the Acquisitions Division, taught in the UW library school, and helped to design several campus libraries as the University expanded. He became associate director in 1960, retiring in 1982. As associate director, he was in charge of the library’s finances, technical services, special collections and computerized bibliographic programs. Kenneth Allen died in November of 1983.

The gift that Paul Allen made in memory of his father is significant for many reasons beyond the unprecedented amount. The timing of the gift was ideal for the University. Original plans for the new library had been scaled back because state funds for the project were insufficient to accomplish the architect’s original design. While most of the Allen gift will remain a permanent endowment to enhance library programs, part of it added about 14,000 square feet to the library.

—Antoinette Wills, Office of Development Writer