ATCHISON — The new Benedictine College Library currently under construction on the Atchison campus took another step towards completion with the installation of the central bell tower and copper dome. The three-story, 58,000- square-foot building will house the college’s collection and provide three times the study space of the old facility. Along with additional classrooms and meeting space, the building will also house the Center for Constitutional Liberty, the Department of History, and the Department of Political Science.
A special feature of the new library, which is designed in the style of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, is a replica of the Assembly Room where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated and signed. The copper dome and spire are replicas of those that sit atop the original Independence Hall.
The building will be open on July 4, 2026, in conjunction with the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. The celebration will include tours of the Assembly Room, an exhibition from the Remnant Trust of colonial era and other documents relating to democracy and freedom, and costumed reenactors. Tours will be held from 9 a.m. until noon on that day.
A replica of the Liberty Bell will also be installed on the ground floor of the central tower. Once complete, the facility will be open to school tours and others interested in learning more about the founding principles of the United States.
Founded in 1858, Benedictine College is a Catholic, Benedictine, residential, liberal arts college located on the bluffs above the Missouri River in Atchison. The school is one of America’s Best Colleges according to U.S. News & World Report.
