On December 17, 1919, a fire gutted Waller Hall, the home of the library. The school rebuilt the interior of the hall, with construction beginning in February 1920. The library was moved to the second floor of the rebuilt structure and reopened in December 1920. At that time William E. Kirk was the librarian and the facility had a capacity of 100 people. By 1922 the collection had grown to 16,000 volumes, and F. G. Franklin served as the school's librarian.