Gothic Reading Room Duke
Gothic Reading Room Located on the second floor of the Rubenstein Library, the Gothic Reading Room's high ceiling allows space for arched windows, bookshelves, chandeliers and portraits of prominent Duke figures, including Washington Duke, James Buchanan Duke, and Benjamin Newton Duke. The Gothic Reading Room is one of West Campus's most popular spots for events and study. During the renovation, special care was taken to preserve and restore the original windows, wood vaulting, and light fixtures of the room that novelist William Styron '47 called his "sanctuary." The portraits on the walls depict members of the Duke family, past Duke presidents, the original Duke.
← Digital Swag Themes The Rubenstein Library's Gothic Reading Room serves as a gallery of important figures in Duke history. Portraits of Washington Duke, James Buchanan Duke, and Benjamin Newton Duke are surrounded by all the presidents of Duke and Trinity College, along with other notable campus figures. Click the thumbnail to view the full.
Rubenstein Floor 2 Looking for classic and quiet? The second floor of Rubenstein blends plentiful seating with gorgeous spaces and lots of natural light. Gothic Reading Room The Gothic Reading Room offers old-school elegance and modern conveniences - most seats have access to power! (Gothic Reading Room Seats 214-243). Gothic Reading Room Located on the second floor of the Rubenstein Library, the Gothic Reading Room's high ceiling allows space for arched windows, bookshelves, chandeliers and portraits of prominent Duke figures.
The Rubenstein Reading Room includes a height-adjustable table, automatic door openers, adjustable chairs, armless chairs, and table lamps. Readers who need to work with specially-equipped machines, including text-to-speech, should contact askRL@duke.edu to be sure of accommodations. Hanging portraits in the Gothic Reading Room following the Rubenstein Library renovation, 2015 The air is finally crisp in Durham, and we are all enjoying the cool weather and colorful leaves.
We are changing inside the library, too, with a major shift for the portraits in the Gothic Reading Room. Floor 2 / Gothic Reading Room (Note: Photographs for this location are intended to be representative and may not show all of the possible configurations). The Gothic Reading Room on the second floor of Perkins Library contains portraits of Duke family members, Duke presidents, trustees of the original Duke Endowment board, and one faculty member -- John Hope Franklin, the renowned historian who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1995.
The project reactivates the library's most historic elements, including the restoration of the 1928 Gothic stair tower, the reimagining of Biddle as a special exhibit space, and the revitalization of the second-floor Gothic Reading Room. The main floor Research Room and consultation rooms, flanked by galleries, seminar rooms, and event spaces, seamlessly connect the historic Gothic entrance.
