By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
The library at the Princeton Theological Seminary tells a story, from the careful thought that went into its design to the leadership and financial support of those who turned an idea into what one called “a jewel of a building.”
“I’m overwhelmed by it. It is more beautiful, more successful than I could have ever dreamt,” said former Seminary President Iain R. Torrance Tuesday on a night when the Seminary community gathered inside the 130,933 square foot building to celebrate what had been accomplished.
In his remarks welcoming the crowd of students, faculty and others, current president M. Craig Barnes called Mr. Torrance “the visionary leader and very much the builder of this library.”
The project to replace the Seminary’s Speer Library with what stands in its place began amid the financial downturn, what Mr. Torrance said was a “huge risk and an act of courage by the Board of Trustees, who gave sacrificially for it.
“And their faith in it and their faith in me has now come to fruition,” said Mr. Torrance, whose name adorns the atrium.
He retired at the end of 2012 before the $75 million library officially opened its doors the following May. Seminary trustee Heather Haaga, one of the major donors, on Tuesday called the building “spectacular.”
“When you see drawings, they’re functional and informative, but they don’t exactly translate into the real thing,” she said. “And this is better than I thought it would ever be. It’s so beautiful, and it’s so functional and people are going to be using this place for a long, long time.”
The library is not just for the Seminary students and faculty but also open to the public. Mr. Barnes called it “another community library.”
Design architect Rayford Law led a tour in which he pointed out some of the architectural characteristics of a building that is separated from the rest of the campus by Mercer Street.
There are the bay windows that let in lots of light inside but also allow passersby to see students and others hard at work. Then there is the tower featuring a Gothic arch at the front entrance, intended to draw visitors to look upward.
He said there is a “strong context” for towers in other buildings in the community, like those on the Princeton University campus.
