W. E. B. Du Bois Library - Falling Bricks and Other Myths

Falling Bricks and Other Myths

There are several myths circulating around campus about the Du Bois Library. However, none of these are factual. The first myth - that the library was not designed with the weight of the books in mind - is false. The library was designed as a graduate library and research center, and has since morphed into the main library on campus. However, either way, the weight of the books was brought into consideration when the library was being built.

The second myth - that entire bricks have fallen from the building - is also false. When the library was built, the sides were supposed to be skinned in limestone, but to cut costs bricks were used instead. Because of the weight of the bricks, a support shelf was necessary, and the sealant joint used on these support shelves needed to expand and contract with the weather. However, the sealant weathered differently than the mortat used on the bricks, and to disguise the difference the architects made a special brick shape which was an overlay. This overlay did not hold up under compression, so some small chips began to break off. The bricks have been spalling ever since, and every 10 to 20 years the bricks are checked and repaired if necessary. Although this myth does contain some truth because small pieces of brick have broken off, a whole brick has never fallen from the building, and no one has ever been injured due to the spalling of small pieces of brick.

The final myth is that the building is sinking into the ground at a rate of about a quarter to a half inch every year. This myth is also false. The library is resting on a gigantic slab of concrete underground, which hasn't moved since the library was built in 1974.