1908–1909, Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge; 1916 addition, Henry O. Whitfield; 1956–1958, 1975 additions, Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson and Abbott. Wellesley College.
The original building, funded by Andrew Carnegie, is a fine example of the American Renaissance by the firm that succeeded to the practice of H. H. Richardson. The bronze doors, depicting Sapientia and Caritas, are the work of Evelyn B. Longman; the flanking statues in niches are copies of the Lemnian Athena and the Hesta Giustiniani. The central, segmentally vaulted reading room (now the reference area) houses portraits of the college presidents; adjoining rooms retain some of the massive Renaissance Revival reading tables designed by the firm. The window treatment on the addition to the right reflects the influence of Eero Saarinen's U.S. Embassy in London (1956–1959).