About Bridwell Library

Bridwell Library  houses theological research collections serving Perkins School of Theology and Southern Methodist University. The collections include a broad ranging general collection, primary and secondary source material for Methodist Studies, as well as rare books and manuscripts. The collections support research in theology and the humanities.

The Library is named for Joseph S. Bridwell (1885-1966), a rancher and businessman from Wichita Falls, Texas, who devoted much of his time and resources to building this Library. 

In the late 1940s, Mr. Bridwell and his daughter Margaret Bridwell Bowdle donated the funds for the first library building. On February 8, 1951, the original Georgian building designed by  Dallas architect Mark Lemmon was dedicated along with the rest of the Perkins quadrangle. At the time the collection numbered approximately 40,000 volumes. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s he continued to support the Library, particularly in the acquisition of rare books.  After Mr. Bridwell's death in 1966, the foundation he established provided funding for the first renovation and enlargement of the Library, which was completed in 1973. The Bridwell Foundation again funded a substantial renovation and expansion of the library  in 1988 under the direction of the architectural firm of Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum.  The building was rededicated in October 1989. The Bridwell Foundation honors the memory of J. S. Bridwell, generously supporting library acquisitions, programs, and renovation over the past three decades.

The library now contains over 385,000 volumes, as well as periodicals, other resources, and archival material. 

Mission Statement