Fondren Library

Fondren Library is the main library of Rice University in Houston, Texas. The library is named for Walter W. Fondren, a co-founder of the Humble Oil & Refining Company, whose family donated $1 million in 1946 for construction of the library. The building was designed by Houston architect John F. Staub and was notable for its open stack arrangement and art deco influence in the architecture. The library was dedicated on November 4, 1949. The library celebrated its 60th birthday in 2009.

An addition to the back of the building in 1969, formally known as the Graduate Research Wing, added 99,000 square feet of research space including study rooms, stacks space, and space for the library's special collections, the Woodson Research Center. In December 1997, the Hobby Foundation designated $21.4 million specifically for improvements in Fondren Library.