Geisel Library Fast Facts

Height: Eight levels rising 110 feet above the ground.

Width: The building’s widest point is 248 feet at ground level. The widest floor above the ground is the sixth level which is 210 feet.

Square Feet: 176,000 gross square feet; 112,000 assignable square feet. These figures are for the original tower.

Floors: In the tower, floors 4 through 8 house much of the Library’s collections and individual study space, while floors 1 and 2 are the most active learning levels. There is no 3rd floor as this space is the outdoor concrete platform that the tower sites atop, known as the Library Forum.

Cost: Original total project cost including construction, architect, furniture, equipment and administration was $5,400,000, with construction costs alone sitting at $4,400,000.

Building Materials: The building contains 17,000 cubic yards of concrete. Four massive cast-in-place bents or slope beam columns are anchored in footings containing 1,500 cubic yards of concrete on each of the four sides of the building.

Pop Culture

Being the icon that it is, Geisel Library has been a popular location for filming and photo shoots over the years—it has even served as the inspiration for musicians’ album cover art. View a list of pop culture appearances at geisel50.ucsd.edu/timeline.