Law Building

Penn State has two ABA approved law schools, one at University Park (UP) and the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle. The Carlisle school opened in 1834 as part of Dickinson College. It became the independent Dickinson School of Law in the early 20th century and at the end of the century it merged with Penn State. For a period of time the two law campuses operated as a joint school of law. In 2014, four years after completion of the Lewis Katz Building at University Park, the curricula diverged (with a wider variety of law related degrees and joint degrees available at University Park) and the two locations became separate schools. The building and library at Carlisle also was renovated and renamed Katz Hall. Both law school buildings are state of the art LEED certified facilities.

The heart of the 100,000 sq ft Lewis Katz Building at UP, which was designed by Polshek Partnership Architects, has a glass-enclosed law library that appears to float inside the glass top floor of the building. It seats nearly 300 and can hold 100,000 volumes. Light reflects differently off the glass across the day. Despite the unique design, profile and features, some believe the south end of the building's top floor resembles a semi trailer with the back door opened.