Completed in 1926 and designed by architect Robert D. Farquhar, the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library is a Beaux Arts landmark on a five-acre property in Los Angeles’s West Adams neighborhood. Administered by UCLA’s Center for 17th- and 18th-Century Studies, the library houses internationally significant rare books and manuscripts, with particular strengths in early modern Europe, Oscar Wilde and his circle, fine printing, and the history of the book.

UCLA’s 2015–2017 renovation renewed the approximately 18,700-square-foot unreinforced-masonry building for contemporary research, teaching, and public programs. A comprehensive seismic retrofit used core drilling to anchor and reinforce the historic walls with minimal visible intervention. A new glass, steel, and brick entry pavilion introduced an accessible grand stair and hydraulic elevator. Improvements below grade created a more welcoming lobby and orientation space, expanded book storage, offices, reading and classroom areas, and upgraded building infrastructure. Restoration of decorative ceilings, bronze windows, travertine, murals, chandeliers, oak flooring, and garden features preserved the library’s historic character.

MCH provided acoustical consulting services for the project.