This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

Washington State University Buildings and Landscapes

The Reader (or Nature Boy)

This page has paths:

Contents of this path:

Looking East at Holland Library's most distinctive detail: a 30-foot high statue on the West side, near the original main entrance. This statue was designed by Seattle artist Dudley Pratt, and officially named "The Reader." It was carved in Bedford, Indiana, the source of the limestone used on this and several other campus buildings, especially Todd Hall and Smith Gym. The statue has long been known informally as "Nature Boy." Sidewalks comprise the foreground while two large trees flank Holland Library. A 1950s-era car is present to the right. Holland Library was built between 1948 and 1950, and was named after the former Washington State College President Ernest O. Holland. Designed by John Maloney, Holland Library was one of the first buildings to be constructed with modern functional architecture. Maloney also designed other buildings on campus such as Todd Hall, Compton Union Building, and Johnson Tower.
A winter view of the West facade of Holland Library. A male student stands beside a cannon with the statue of the "Nature Boy" visible in the background. Holland Library was built between 1948 and 1950, and was named after the former Washington State College President Ernest O. Holland. Designed by John Maloney, Holland Library was one of the first buildings to be constructed with modern functional architecture. Maloney also designed other buildings on campus such as Todd Hall, Compton Union Building, and Johnson Tower. The Library's most distinctive detail is a 30-foot high statue on the West side, near the original main entrance. This statue was designed by Seattle artist Dudley Pratt, and officially named "The Reader." It was carved in Bedford, Indiana, the source of the limestone used on this and several other campus buildings, especially Todd Hall and Smith Gym. The statue has long been known informally as "Nature Boy."
Students entering and exiting the original main entrance on the West side of Holland Library, WSU Building #62. A tree provides shade on the grass in the left foreground; College Hall is visible to the right. The statue, designed by Seattle artist Dudley Pratt and officially named "The Reader," was carved in Bedford, Indiana, the source of the limestone used on this and several other campus buildings, especially Todd Hall and Smith Gym. The statue has long been known informally as "Nature Boy." Holland Library was built between 1948 and 1950, and was named after the former Washington State College President Ernest O. Holland. Designed by John Maloney, Holland Library was one of the first buildings to be constructed with modern functional architecture. Maloney also designed other buildings on campus such as Todd Hall, Compton Union Building, and Johnson Tower.
Looking East at Holland Library's most distinctive detail: a 30-foot high statue on the West side, near the original main entrance. This statue was designed by Seattle artist Dudley Pratt, and officially named "The Reader." It was carved in Bedford, Indiana, the source of the limestone used on this and several other campus buildings, especially Todd Hall and Smith Gym. The statue has long been known informally as "Nature Boy." Holland Library was built between 1948 and 1950, and was named after the former Washington State College President Ernest O. Holland. Designed by John Maloney, Holland Library was one of the first buildings to be constructed with modern functional architecture. Maloney also designed other buildings on campus such as Todd Hall, Compton Union Building, and Johnson Tower.