Uris Library was designed by Cornell's first architecture student, William Henry Miller.

"[1] Andrew Dickson White had advocated for the construction of the building today known as Uris Library for decades, and donated his personal collection of 30,000 books--a donation which increased the size of the University's book collections by 50%.

[2] In response, trustees allocated a large room within the library to house White's collections.

[3] The room features balconies and crosswalks covered in iron scrollwork on the upper levels, and spiral staircases in the corners.

[3] The wood floor was originally bare until a deep green carpet was added to dampen noise.