The Brutalist Library: Rereading Its Legacy and Reimagining the Future

Friday, October 24, 2025

University of Massachusetts Boston
UMass Boston Campus Center

Room UO3 - 3550A

Program Schedule at a Glance

8:00– 8:30 am     Registration - Campus Center, Point Lounge

8:30 – 8:45 am    Welcome - Campus Center, Ballroom 

8:45 - 10:15 am          Panel 1: Designing the Brutalist Library - Campus Center, Ballroom 

10:15 - 10:30 am         Break - Campus Center, Point Lounge

10:30 - 12:00 pm  Panel 2: Adapting the Brutalist Library - Campus Center, Ballroom 

12:00 - 1:00 pm         Lunch - Campus Center, Point Lounge

1:00 - 2:30 pm           Panel 3: Envisioning the Brutalist Library - Campus Center, Ballroom 

2:30 - 3:30 pm          Tours & Discussion - Campus Center, Ballroom

Panel 1: Designing the Brutalist Library

Chair: Timothy M. Rohan, PhD., UMass Amherst

Panelists: Sarah Horowitz, Ph.D. candidate, Boston University; Mary Anne Hunting, Ph.D., Independent Scholar; Kristina Wilson, Ph.D., Clark University

The panel will discuss the history of architects’ design of libraries and the development of design criteria in collaboration with their clients. In the past, H.H. Richardson and the firm of McKim, Mead and White designed notable libraries in New England and beyond. But who designed the Brutalist libraries of the post-World War II college campus, and what were their aims? How did they accommodate the growing enrollments of postwar campuses and expanding collections of books and other materials? Why did architects and clients turn to Brutalism and typologies such as the skyscraper when they designed new libraries for the college campuses of the postwar period?

Panel 2: Adapting the Brutalist Library

Chair: Stephanie Walker, Dean of University Libraries, UMass Boston

Panelists: Curtis Brundy, Dean of University Libraries, UMass Amherst; Nancy Godleski, Dean of University Libraries, UMass Dartmouth; Galadriel Chilton, Dean of University Libraries, UMass Lowell

Adapting the Brutalist Library will examine the challenges faced by librarians in the 21st century. Libraries collaborate with users, faculty, staff, and students to adapt building programs to meet modern needs and expectations. Given the supportive role that libraries play for their campus and the general public, librarians are striving to optimize space to conserve collections while providing services to all their constituents. The library acts as a nexus of campus services, serving as a third place and resilience hub for the campus and the community. This panel offers the opportunity to better understand the evolving role of libraries in the present digital age and their spatial needs.

Panel 3: Envisioning the Brutalist Library

Chair: Ann Beha, FAIA, Founder of Ann Beha Architects, now Annum Architects

Panelists: Robert Carroll, AIA, Senior Associate, Annum Architects; Cliff Gayley, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal, William Rawn Associates Architects; David Gingerella, Vice Chancellor for Administration & Facilities, UMass Dartmouth; Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Senior Campus Planner & Architect, UMass Amherst; Richard Yeager, Director of Planning & Facilities Information Systems, UMass Lowell

Mid-century modern academic libraries vary in size, structure, and design in accordance with the place and public institutions they serve, and reflect the character and strategic programs for which they were built.  This panel will describe efforts to adapt small, medium, and large academic libraries with creative solutions that support future library programming, demonstrate innovative funding strategies, and address technical challenges with human-centered and sustainable design solutions.

Open Discussion:

Open Discussion b/w Panelists and Attendees

Moderator: Ann Beha, FAIA, Founder of Ann Beha Architects, now Annum Architects.

This session encourages all speakers to an open dialogue among architects, librarians, historians, and users of brutalist libraries, aiming to promote understanding and interdisciplinary collaboration. By fostering active listening and engagement, the discussion seeks to explore how past, present, and future perspectives can converge to envision the adaptation of historically significant spaces.

Tours: 

UMass Boston Healey Library Tour

Guide: Stephanie Walker, Dean of University Libraries, UMass Boston

Join us for a detailed tour of Healey Library! Healey Library is a large building, at 13 floors – and most of it is “Library” but we also have spaces occupied by partners, including teaching space, audiovisual services, a radio station, IT, Tutoring, the campus Ombudsperson’s offices, Graduate Studies, the office and collections of UNAM (our partner, the National Autonomous University of Mexico), University Advancement, the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs, and many Institutes. Within the Library, we are especially proud of our amazing University Archives & Special Collections and the Grossmann Gallery, which has regular art and archival exhibits. Sounds like a lot, right? It is, but we all work together amazingly smoothly – and there’s lots to see. The tour is also a terrific opportunity to see examples of Brutalist design by architect Harry Weese, like the angled stairs that connect the 2nd and 3rd floors and the coffered ceiling slab also seen in the Washington DC Metro stations designed by Weese. Don’t miss it! 

UMass Boston Campus Walking Tour

Guide: Dennis Swinford, Director of Campus Planning and Sustainability, UMass Boston

Attend a scenic, guided walking tour of the UMass Boston campus to learn more about its built environment. Nestled along Boston Harbor, the tour begins at the Campus Center, a hub of student life and home to breathtaking waterfront views. From there, you’ll explore cutting-edge academic buildings like the Integrated Sciences Complex and University Hall. As you walk, you’ll hear about the university’s history — from its roots as a commuter school to its evolution into a vibrant, research-driven public institution. You’ll also visit key locations such as the Healey Library, the new residential halls, and the Quinn Administration Building. The tour concludes back at the Campus Center, offering a full loop of the campus guided by someone who truly knows all it has to offer.