Project underway: Hatcher North doors

August 4, 2023

This summer and through winter, you'll likely see construction at some of the Hatcher Library's entrances and exits, most notably the doors at the Diag entrance into Hatcher North. U-M Architecture, Engineering and Construction are rehabilitating that entrance, and making other external repairs to mitigate water intrusion into the basement of the building.

The rehabilitation of the north entrance includes restoration of the doors that protected the interior vestibule. Those doors, which were removed in 1974, protected this space and its untreated marble floor from the elements. 

Water issues aside, the project will have an important aesthetic benefit: the "missing" doors give Hatcher, when viewed from the Diag, an unfinished look. With the ornate metal work flanking those doors fully restored, and new doors in place, the building's front will better represent the Central Campus Historic district.