History of the Library

Mary Couts Burnett

After the death of her first husband, Mary Couts Barradall married Texas cattle and oil baron Samuel Burk Burnett in 1892. By 1911, their marriage was struggling, and Mary had grown distrustful of her husband. Instead of pursuing divorce, Burk Burnett made claims about Mary’s mental health, which led to a court case in Fort Worth where Mary was declared legally insane. After receiving treatment at the Terrell State Hospital, Mary relocated to her family home in Weatherford, Texas, where she became active in social activities, indicating she had regained stability. In 1916, Mary faced another tragedy when her only child, Samuel "Burk" Burnett, Jr. passed away at the age of 21 from a rare form of cancer.

Burk Burnett, Sr. died on June 27, 1922, and soon after, Mary petitioned the court to declare her sane. With the support of witnesses, Mary successfully had her insanity ruling overturned and returned to Fort Worth. According to Burnett’s will, Mary would receive a small portion of his estate—not the customary "widow's share" of half. Mary contested the will and in May of 1923, a judge awarded her $3 million from the Burnett estate.

Mary could have settled back into a comfortable life as a wealthy woman in the Fort Worth society, but she was eager to resume her philanthropic efforts and sought out opportunities to make a meaningful impact on her community.

Mary met with TCU President E.M. Waits and informed him she would be endowing a trust of more than $3 million to Texas Christian University. The amount is equivalent to more than $54 million after being adjusted for today’s inflation. Her gift included a provision for $150,000 to be used to build one building on campus to honor the donor. Waits responded immediately: "a library."

Mary’s decision to choose TCU as the recipient of her substantial wealth was deeply personal. Her hometown newspaper, Weatherford Daily Herald, captured her sentiment: “Ever since the death of my son, Burk Burnett, Jr., I have wanted to do for other Texas boys and girls some of the things which death deprived me from doing for my own boy. I decided that the greatest good I could possibly accomplish would be to help the boys and girls of Texas to gain one asset which cannot be taken from them—an education.”

History of the Library

At Mary’s request, the original bequest of $150,000 was used to construct the library. The building was completed in early 1925 and a dedication ceremony was held February 27, 1925. Although Mary Couts Burnett died in December 1924 shortly before the opening of the new library, she was able to see the nearly completed library named in her honor before her death.

In 1925, President Waits was quoted saying, "She was ... a woman of refinement, with a genuine interest in culture, with a natural interest in education, and a decided loyalty to her hometown."

The Mary Couts Burnett Library was one of the first structures built on the east side of campus. The heart and soul of Texas Christian University, Mary Couts Burnett Library, originally constructed in 1924, was a beautiful, small library designed to accommodate 500 to 1,000 students.

Since its opening, the Mary Couts Burnett Library has been expanded three times—1954, 1982 and 2015. The original portion of the library maintains the distinction of the historic Mary Couts Burnett Library. It includes the popular Gearhart Reading Room and its wood paneling as well as the government documents section on the second floor. Despite the renovations, the library still holds the original windows on the south side—a lovely fixture of the Gearhart Reading Room.

Renovations

The library remains the nucleus of the present facilities. The buildings 1954 renovation was prompted by greatly increased postwar enrollment at TCU. The expansion increased the library’s size by 50 percent and extensive rehabilitation of the library created more space for books, students and staff. The modernization included extensive updates and the addition of air-conditioning.

The second expansion completed in 1982, increased the library size to 158,605 square feet, renovated the existing 80,000 square feet and added a new entrance. The $10 million budget covered the construction of the new facility, interior remodeling, exterior renovation and new furnishings. Major donors to the new facility included Cecil and Ida Green, the T.J. Brown and C.A. Lupton Foundation and the Anne Burnett Tandy and Charles D. Tandy Foundation.

The 2015 renovation and expansion brought in more space and gave parts of the library a modern facelift—propelling the building into the 21^st century. The main entry was re-oriented to the western façade with a portico and a grand stone stairway.

The second floor is now the main circulation level with patrons entering the library from either the west or east side. The spaces are complemented by an environmental graphics program with notable author quotes and inspiring words.

Technological amenities were added: a giga lab, which houses computers with greater memory and higher-level processing speeds compared to the standard lab computers; multimedia editing rooms; a fabrication lab with 3-D printers; film screening room; and a faculty-staff lounge for academic presentations and socializing.

The building is designed with different floors dedicated to varying levels of activity, with the noisiest located at the bottom and the quietest at the top. The active ground level includes open study lounges and a bustling café. The second floor comprises large reading rooms, collaboration and study spaces, with the hushed top level dedicated to special collections, archives and graduate lounges.

Over time both the library and the legacy of Mary Couts Burnett have evolved. The library remains a staple of TCU pride—the building is now a campus hub.

Timeline