Mills Memorial

At a cost of $525,000, Mills Memorial Center became Rollins’ second library building, in 1951. This two-story structure was designed by George E. Spohn along with J. Gamble Rogers II. The contractor firm of Waterman & Richards constructed the 27,875-square-foot building. The construction of the building was made possible through the philanthropy of the David B. Mills Foundation of New York. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 1, 1949, and the dedication occurred on December 1, 1951. The Mills Library initially contained 81,000 volumes. This number, however, increased as acquisitions and donations enriched the library collections year after year.

The interior of Mills Memorial library

Mills Memorial Center is located at the heart of Rollins’ campus, with an entrance that faces north. The typical Spanish-Mediterranean building is made of steel frame covered with concrete stucco. The inside walls are furred and plastered, and the ceilings are of mineral acoustical tile. In addition, there is considerable woodwork and cypress wood trimming stained and waxed in a light color on the first and second floors. Two covered balconies provide an exquisite view toward beautiful Lake Virginia. Outside the library, a Spanish-type garden, along with a loggia, fits into the pattern of the Spanish style of the building and the rest of Rollins’ campus. Stairs connect the mild Florida exterior with the inside balconies and the patio of the second floor.

During its library days, the building had a capacity of approximately 150,000 volumes, along with ample space for study and browsing, a large reference room, a photo lab, and music rooms with the projection studio and the WPRK radio station. In 1966, the College received funds from the Kresge Foundation to improve the internal conditions of the library. Specifically, the project added air conditioning, stack space on the sixth tier, and finished the area for Archives and Special Collections. After the Olin Library was constructed in 1985, the old library building was converted to administrative use. Mills Memorial Center currently houses the offices of the dean of the faculty and student records; the Galloway Room (used for conferences and meetings); the Off-campus Student Lounge; the offices of the Student Government Association, Tomokan (yearbook), and Sandspur (student newspaper); the Thomas Phillips Johnson Student Resource Center; WPRK radio station; and the post office.

Mills Memorial patio in the back