Libraries Exhibit in Leflar Law Center Highlights History of Law Buildings

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A new exhibit of materials from the University Libraries Special Collections Division is now on display outside the Legal Clinic in Waterman Hall. Curated by Catherine Wallack, architectural records archivist, "Building a History: The Law School on Campus" provides a timeline from the first Department of Law, housed in Old Main, through its current home in the Leflar Law Center today. 

"It is fascinating to realize how much has changed since Waterman Hall, the first purpose-built home for the School of Law, was built," Wallack said. "One of my favorite images shows the building in the early stages of construction with the foundation walls emerging from the ground. It's initially disorienting; the context has changed so much. The view is towards the west with Markham Hill in the distance. The large building in the background, where Silas Hunt Hall now stands, is the now long-gone Dairy Building. Garland Avenue, still a city street, runs directly in front of it, across the campus."

Included in the exhibit are promotional materials and a newspaper clipping from Waterman Hall's building dedication on Oct. 3, 2008, at which Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor gave the keynote address. Photos and images of the various buildings the School of Law has called home range from 1924 to the present day.

"The Law School has transformed so much from its modest start," Wallack said. "Looking at its physical presence on campus provides one way to begin to understand its impact."