The Lecky Library (1978) is a scandalously overlooked architectural curiosity. It is an extraordinary specimen of postmodernity. The resemblance of the Lecky to an underfunded public library has nothing to do with measly budgets and unimaginative planning and everything to do with wittily confounding expectations of what a modern university library should be. Juxtaposed with the superior Ussher and Berkeley libraries, the Lecky glories in its own inadequacy. From the sponginess of the felt chairs and the fuzziness of the checkerboard carpets, the Lecky refuses to conform to any archetype of cutting-edge design. Many of the Lecky’s unsightly features are actually intentional caricatures of Trinity’s … Continue reading Architecturally, the Lecky Library Glories in its Own Inadequacy