W. Wyman Pilcher Public Service Building, Kennesaw State University

Constructed between 1966 and 1967, this building was used as the library of the college. The building, which was completed on March 16, 1967, was part of the original eight buildings of the campus plans of the Kennesaw Junior College. The building was known as the library until 1978 when the Horace W. Sturgis Library was opened, and the building became known as the old library. However, after its renovation in 1984, which intended to make the building a media center by adding darkrooms and graphic artist offices. The building was renamed after W. Wyman Pilcher in 1987. The building today is used as a public service building and includes the public information office.

The Pilcher building is known today as the W. Wyman Pilcher Public Service Building, however, when Kennesaw State University was still called Kennesaw Junior College it was known as the library. The building was constructed between 1966 and 1967, and it was part of the original five-story building campus of Kennesaw Junior College, and it consisted of 20,000 square feet. However, when the campus opened in 1966 the building was not ready, therefore the students had to use the Southern Tech University Library until the building was finished.

Originally, the Pilcher building was just called the library, but with the creation of the new library, also known as the Horace W. Sturgis Library, it became known as the old library. However, the Horace W. Sturgis Library was originally an extension of the old library. In 1978 the old library was extended to a connecting five-story building that would add classrooms, offices, laboratories, shops, and service rooms. The extension cost over four billion dollars at the time, which translates to thirty-six billion dollars today, and it was designed by Morris Hall and Peter Norris Architectures company. The project is also known by the architects as the C-39 project, and it was estimated to be completed in 545 days, but due to complications regarding water leaks in the roof, the project took longer than expected. In 1990 the extension was renamed the Horace W. Sturgis Library, and the connection between the buildings was destroyed. The two buildings are adjacent but not internally connected as before.

The old library was renovated from 1982 to 1984. The second floor was renovated in 1982 and the second floor was renovated in 1984. Those renovations had the intent of making the old Library the media center of campus. Therefore, the University added alumni meeting rooms and offices, a staff writer, a public information office, a graphic artist office, and darkrooms to the building. In addition, in late 1984 instructional computer labs were moved to the second floor of the old Library. Overall, the renovations cost more than eight hundred thousand dollars.

However, it only became the Pilcher Building in 1987. The building was named after W. Wyman Pilcher, a prominent Marietta banker who served on the presidential search committee that brought Betty Siegel to Kennesaw State University. W. Wyman Pilcher was also a member of the LEEG grant charter, which would provide tuition and books for any police officer wanting to attend college. 

Facilities Planning and Design Building Plans and Records, 1965-2004. Kennesaw State University Archives.

Pilcher Building (Old Library) Construction and Dedication, November 2, 1987. Kennesaw State University Archives.

Pilcher Building (Old Library) General, 1978-1997, undated. Kennesaw State University Archives.

Scott, Tom. The History of Kennesaw State University: The First Fifty Years, 1963-2013. Kennesaw, Georgia. Kennesaw State University Press, 2013.