John McArthur Harris was the nephew of John McArthur Jr., Pardee Hall's (
NO12.1) architect, which presumably brought him the commission for Lafayette's library, now Van Wickle Hall. Closely based on H. H. Richardson's New England libraries, it shows his characteristic Romanesque arches, eyebrow windows, and horizontal ranges of windows; yet while it is nominally Romanesque, it is more in the graceful spirit of the Colonial Revival, as its Palladian window shows. The building is well preserved and the entrance hall, although painted white, retains its three bold half-round arches and terra-cotta frieze. A 1939 addition at the rear continues the brick, terra-cotta ornament, and arched window openings of the original design. It now houses the college's geology department.