- History of the Beethoven Center
- Building Collections
- Changing Locations
- In memorium
- Visitor Statistics
Changing Locations: A short history of Beethoven Center facilities
When the Beethoven Center first opened in 1985, it took over two rooms in the School of Library and Information Science, located on the sixth floor of the San José State University's Wahlquist Library.
Patricia (Elliott) Stroh shows a recent acquisition to Ira Brilliant in the small reading room on the sixth floor of Wahlquist Library.
The Center quickly outgrew that space and moved to the third floor, to space vacated by the special collections department of the Wahlquist Library. Ira Brilliant explains the exhibits to two members of the American Beethoven Society.
In 1997, the university began planning for a new library to be built on the site of the old Wahlquist building. This massive new building would also house the main library of the City of San Jose in a innovative strategy to combine the two libraries. Staff at the Beethoven Center began working on plans for their space in the new building at the same time they prepared to move the Center to a temporary location before demolition of the old. Modular classroom buildings were outfitted with extra security measures to house the Center's collections and staff.
In the summer of 2003, the Beethoven Center moved into the new Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library on the site of the former Wahlquist Library.
With the help of executive board member James Green, an interior designer, we added a custom designed wood floor for our keyboard instruments and improved the reading and exhibits areas. The result is an attractive and inviting space for exploring the Center's many resources.
