William Robertson Coe, the man

History of the Coe Library

Early days

The U.W. Libraries formed in 1887 with a donation of three hundred books from Charles E. Clay of Rock Creek. The location of the first U.W. library was in Old Main, the only building on the U.W. campus when the university first opened for enrollment. The library endured years of overcrowding in the Old Main building, until U.W. President Aven Nelson made a $200,000 legislative appropriation request for a new library building. Completed in 1923, the Aven Nelson building housed the library as well as the College of Law and several humanities departments. The library remained in the Aven Nelson building until 1957 when the William R. Coe Library opened.

Design and Construction

Due to the Cold War’s resulting push for American academic excellence, the University of Wyoming decided a new library was an important and urgent goal.

The U.W. trustees approved the plan to build a new library in 1950. However, the 1951 Wyoming legislature rejected the funding request by U.W. for capital outlay projects— including funds for the new library building. In spite of the funding roadblocks, the library plans came to fruition. William Robertson Coe, a British financier who lived both in New York and Cody, WY, bequeathed the university $1,200,000 for the new library and School of American Studies department which was to reside in the library building.

The Wyoming legislature eventually authorized a matching gift in the form of a bond for $750,000 to assist with building costs. Oil royalties funded this bond. In all, Mr. Coe’s gifts and bequests to the University of Wyoming were the largest that the university had ever been given at that time—and totaled approximately four million dollars during 1951—1961.

May, 1956 ushered in the ground-breaking of the new William Robertson Coe Library building. The William R. Coe Library is typical of the modular architectural style which was very popular during the 1950’s. Coe Library Director Orwin Rush promoted the idea of a new modular building, rather than an expansion of the Aven Nelson building. The architects awarded the contract were Laramie-based Eliot Hitchcock and Clinton Hitchcock who partnered with Cheyenne-based architectural firm Porter and Porter. In addition to the library, Hitchcock and Hitchcock designed many other U.W. campus and Laramie buildings such as the Cooper Mansion, home to the U.W. American Studies program since 1988. Eliot and Clinton’s father, architect Wilbur Hitchcock, had designed the first library building on campus (now the Aven Nelson building).

The modular design was functional and intended to ease future additions to the library. The floor-plans for Coe followed the trend to increase student seating capacities and the new library encouraged browsing in open reading rooms and provided spaces for individual study booths. The 1950’s library also included seating for nine hundred students and room for a half-million books. A small, white home economics cottage which was situated on the corner of Ivinson and 13th Streets was razed to and replaced with the modern, 260,000 volume library. Before the home economics building, chicken coops were located on the property. After two years of construction, the building opened to the students, faculty and staff of the University of Wyoming shortly before the Fall, 1958 semester began.

During the first year of operation, as many as five hundred and thirty readers used the new building at a single time, three times the capacity of the old building. Circulation had a twenty percent increase in statistics.

Since William R. Coe passed away three years before the library dedication, Cliff Hanson described the driving force behind Coe’s generous donation. During his remarks, Trustee Hanson cited Coe’s conviction for a climate of freedom and that the world was anxiously watching the American military activities. Hanson also echoed Coe’s sentiments that in order for humanity to rise to its greatest heights, the spirit must be inspired as it only can under free enterprise. According to Hanson, the library and the American Studies program were funded by Coe so that “young people could gain a greater knowledge, become better citizens and have a zeal for American life which helps lead Americans down a path of peace.” He urged students to lead their lives as loyal, responsible citizens of our Republic and accept Mr. Coe’s forthright belief in the need for a positive and affirmative answer to Communism and Socialism. Hanson concluded with, “No building on campus can play a more decisive role in our future than this one. Mr. Coe’s faith in tomorrow is fully warranted as we anticipate the emergence of the good seeds he has sown today.”