THE STEPS OF THE SHENANDOAH IN CARRIER LIBRARY R o o t e d i n t h e Va l l e y , r e a c h i n g t o wa r d t o m o r r o w
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hen Carrier Library reopens this August, all who enter the Stan (’54) and Rosemary Jones Wing will be greeted by the Steps of the Shenandoah — a signature staircase that evokes the undulating path of the Shenandoah River. While this striking vertical element rises through three floors in the new wing, it symbolically grounds the library in the enduring form of the Shenandoah Valley landscape. Beyond the staircase, even Carrier’s walls and floors cultivate a profound sense of place and permanence. Interior Bluestone walls — the original 1930s exterior of Madison Memorial Library — provide a tactile connection to the university’s origins and the material of the valley itself. Meanwhile, JMU-themed compass roses, embedded in the terrazzo flooring inside each entrance, offer a subtle reminder of the wider world and the trajectories students may follow after graduation. The implementation of these site-specific design elements in Carrier was not merely a feat of engineering but a beautiful example of JMU’s culture of purposeful collaboration. An interdisciplinary partnership among architects, construction managers, library staff, designers and facilities experts is precisely what allowed these place-based features to take shape within the library’s new footprint. In an era where knowledge can feel increasingly fleeting or intangible, these intentional, locally inspired design elements in Carrier Library assert the library’s constancy and connectivity. By bridging the past, present and future, the building serves as a reminder of the way a university and its library can be deeply integrated with its community and anchored in its local landscape.
(Clockwise from top): Shenandoah River bends; completed staircase; an original column bracket that had been hidden for decades under a drop ceiling; the largest of three inlaid compass roses; Stan (’54) and Rosemary Jones Wing
— Kristen Shuyler
Scan to read more about the staircase’s unique features, including how they were built with local expertise.
“BENDS OF THE SHENANDOAH RIVER AND THE SURROUNDING AREA” PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JMU SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, WILLIAM HOYLE GARBER PHOTOGRAPHS COLLECTION, SC 0318; STAIRCASE, CEILING AND COMPASS BY ANDREW J. STRACK; EXTERIOR BY OLIVE SANTOS (’20)
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