Hoose Library of Philosophy: History, Collections, Art & Architecture and Digital Humanities Projects and Resources: ARCHITECTURE: HOOSE LIBRARY & MUDD HALL OF PHILOSOPHY

Explore the USC Art and Architecture Self-Guided tour, using the PDF guide.

Walk the campus at your own pace while you visit the buildings, sculptures, fountains, murals, galleries and architectural details that have shaped the University's unique physical and cultural growth.

Visit Hoose Library today to see the high cathedral ceilings, massive crossbeams, walls covered with decorative paint and twenty-two tile mosaics depicting great philosophers. Walk through the library's main entrance doors, above which you can see a wood carving of a scholar and students.

For a description of the space (originally written by USC Libraries' Ruth Wallach), Click Here

More Info:

• Main Reading Room dimensions: 115 feet long by 22 feet wide by 38 feet high 
• Decorative wall painting designer: Julian Ellsworth Garnsey 
• Stained-glass windows creator: Judson Studios, Los Angeles
• Mosaics (22): Subject matter and inscriptions were supplied by Dr. Ralph Tyler Flewelling, Director of the School of Philosophy. 

Learn more about the history & architecture of the Hoose Library, including design details and awards!

The Mudd Memorial Hall of Philosophy (1929) is perhaps the most elegant of the many Romanesque Revival-style buildings on campus. It won a gold medal for design from the Los Angeles Art Association in 1931!

It was designed by Ralph Carlin Flewelling, whose father was a longtime professor of Philosophy at USC.

Its design recalls a medieval monastery, with courtyard cloister, tower, and elaborate carvings in the Romanesque tradition.  The interior of Mudd Hall features wood, colorful tile, terra cotta, and painted plaster ceilings.

The building underwent extensive structural and decorative restoration in 2003, earning a 2004 Los Angeles Conservancy Preservation Award.

Source: LA Conservancy, University of Southern California non-modern building

USC Hoose Library of Philosophy was designated a City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) on 12/11/2013!

Note: The Hoose Library of Philosophy and one of the most important university collections, the Gomperz Family collections, are specifically stated in the designation.

USC National Historic District was designated to The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service on 07/14/2015!

2003 Retrofit of Hoose Library of Philosophy after the Northridge Earthquake

KCK Architects & Planners coordinated repairs that included replacing damaged tower finials in lightweight cast material, patching, and repointing brick and low cast stone walls and masonry cleaning, with SHPO and FEMA historic review. They also guided installation of central mechanical system and various tenant improvements, utilizing original drawings to find concealed routes for services and providing offices that take advantage of the high ceiling spaces and large windows.

Click here for image source

Hoose Library of Philosophy was featured in a 2023 Los Angeles Times list of "10 Inspiring L.A. Libraries..."

To learn more, click here

Hoose Library was recently featured in the second installment of the Daily Trojan recurring series, "The Weekly Frame."

This segment focused on "Contrast." Special thanks to Daily Trojan staff photographer Bryce Dechert for this beautiful picture!

Click Here

Check out these historical images of Mudd Hall of Philosophy from the USC Digital Library!

The Flewelling & Moody, Inc. Architecture, Planning, Interiors firm is still in business today! 

Flewelling and Moody, Inc. was founded by Ralph Carlin Flewelling in 1928 in Los Angeles. Some of Flewelling’s most noteworthy designs include the Beverly Hills Post Office, USC’s Seeley W. Mudd Memorial Hall of Philosophy, and Caltech’s Millikan Memorial Library.