CSU Buildings and Grounds History

From CSU's Sense of Place:  A Campus History of Colorado's Land-Grant University, by James E. Hansen, Gordon A. Hazard, and Linda M. Meyer.  Fort Collins, CO:  Colorado State University, 2018.

Architects - CSU Facilities Management (original), Per M. Hogestad (2010 addition)

Builder – Heath Construction Company, LLC of Fort Collins

203 and 205 West Lake Street

Over the years various locations on and off the campus have been used to store less-frequently used books and materials that would not fit in the main Library building.  In September 1983, the State Board of Agriculture authorized $312,000 to build this on-campus Book Storage Facility on West Lake Street just west of the Surplus Property Building. It was an unassuming corrugated metal building.

In May 1984, the construction budget was raised to $340,000 to meet the rising costs of labor and materials.  Architects at the Department of Facilities Management designed the 28,000 square foot building that utilized two levels of shelving to store thousands of books.  In 1995, the building was equipped with improved climate-control and shelving upgrades as part of the overall Morgan Library expansion project. 

In 2003, the need for more room to store and preserve the University’s archival collections resulted in a 3,923 square foot wing addition on the south side of the original building.  In February 2004, the Archives and Special Collections of the CSU Libraries began using the “Archive Annex”.  The secure, windowless building featured climate-controls designed to help preserve the rapidly growing collections of delicate materials stored there.

The campus continued to grow and the use of the limited space in the Morgan Library was reconsidered.  It was decided that a new wing would be added to the south side of the original Book Storage Facility.  Construction began in the fall of 2010. Designed by architect Per M. Hogestad of the Department of Facilities Management, this 4,367 square foot addition featured movable shelves to maximize storage space.  The new wing was completed in early 2011 to house thousands of seldom used books that needed to be moved out of the Morgan Library to allow that space to be remodeled and thus better used by students.  A large number of computer stations were planned to use space once occupied by books. 

In 2014, movable shelves were installed to maximize the storage space in the “Archive Annex” portion of the building.