[LIB4985] - Peaks of Joy, Valleys of Despair:
The History of the Syracuse University Library from 1871 to 1907 - available here in PDF
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Library, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
[LIB4985] - Peaks of Joy, Valleys of Despair:
The History of the Syracuse University Library from 1871 to 1907 - available here in PDF
1906 Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
[LIB4983]- Since 1838 the University of Michigan Library has been serving the research needs of students, faculty and the public. Over its many years of operation the library system has acquired an enormous wealth of diverse resources. Unable to contain these resources in one location the University of Michigan Library is physically spread over more than 12 buildings housing more than 20 libraries. [Website]
Monday, November 28, 2011
Library, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey
[LIB4977] - Sculpture by William Zorach.
"Above layered banners of our history the high sun of life and learning shows the Hackensack's shore supporting an Indian past, a bountiful Mother Earth, and a worker proud that his child reaches eagerly out to the future offered by Fairleigh Dickinson University." - Loyd Haberly
1912 Carnegie Library, Camden, New Jersey
[LIB4976] - Sadly in the years between 1986 and 2004 the Carnegie Library stood as a symbol of much that was wrong with Camden- physical decay, political inertia, and an indifference to both the heritage of the past and the need to instill a love of books and learning in Camden's children. A few interested parties attempted to get government help in preserving the building, but met with little success.
Happily, the new wind that began to blow through Camden in 2003 brought wonderful news on March 20, 2004, when the Camden Redevelopment Agency announced that funds had been set side for the preservation and restoration of the Carnegie Library. [Read more here]
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
[LIB4971] - Also shown is the new entrance to Schenley Park.
1945 The Bishop Memorial Library, Toms River, New Jersey
[LIB4970] - The building was constructed in 1941 as a public library for Toms River, using the accrued assets of Nathaniel Holmes Bishop III, a local author and cranberry-grower. Mr. Bishop moved to Ocean County from Massachusetts after the Civil War and as an author and sportsman, became known for his books about the Barnegat Bay sneak box and his travels in a "paper canoe". Both Bishop and his wife, Mary Ball, advocated the founding of a public library for Toms River and provided in their wills for the purchase of land and subsequent design of a spacious brick Georgian building. Since the library opened, it has served both the local citizens and those of the county when Dover Township, now Toms River Township, joined the Ocean County Library system in the 1970s. The Bishop Memorial Library underwent a full renovation completed in 2009. [Ocean County Library System]
1941 Public Library, Framingham, Massachusetts
[LIB4969] - The Edgell Memorial Library, one of the few remaining Victorian Gothic style buildings in the area, anchors the Centre Common in Framingham, a quintessential New England town common. A monument to Civil War Soldiers, built in 1872 by local people using local materials, it is a testament to the determination of the community. When demolition was threatened in 1963 by the building of a new library, concerned citizens and the Framingham Historical Society rallied to save our beloved Library. Read more about the preservation of Edgell Memorial Library here.
1909 Public Library, Lewiston, Maine
[LIB4968] - A Coombs and Gibbs design, this building was significantly renovated in 1996, including moving the main entrance one block to the west. [List of Carnegie libraries in Maine]
1912 The Public Library, New London, Connecticut
[LIB4967] - A view from 1912 and a contemporary view [Historic Buildings of Connecticut].
The New London whaling merchant, Henry Philemon Haven, who died in 1876, left a bequest to be used for charitable purposes. His trustees used the funds to build a library, completed in 1892 and designed by the firm of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge (H.H. Richardson‘s successor firm). The architects sent George Warren Cole, who eventually established his own firm in the city, to New London to supervise three simultaneous projects: the Library, Williams Memorial Institute and Nathan Hale School. The Richardsonian Romanesque Public Library of New London building features a design similar to the libraries designed by Richardson and contrasts a Milford granite construction with brownstone trim. [Historic Buildings of Connecticut]
The Public Library, Queen's Square, Valletta, Malta
[LIB4966] Early 20th century view and a contemporary view.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
E.C. Scranton Library, Madison, Connecticut
[LIB4965] - The E.C. Scranton Memorial Library was a 1901 gift to the townspeople from Mary Scranton. The original building was designed by the architect Henry Bacon, who later designed the Lincoln Memorial. [Wikipedia]
Public Library, St. Petersburg, Florida
The library c1920s and a contemporary view. [Image Courtesy St. Petersburg PL]
[LIB4964] - The St. Petersburg Public Library (also known as the Mirror Lake Library or Carnegie Library) is a Carnegie library built in 1915 in Beaux-Arts style. It is located in St. Petersburg, Florida (280 Fifth Street North). On June 13, 1986, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. [Wikipedia]
Monday, November 14, 2011
McKeldin Library, University of Maryland, Prince Georges, Maryland
[LIB4932] - McKeldin Library is the main branch of the University of Maryland Library system. Constructed in 1958, the building is named for Theodore McKeldin, the former Governor of Maryland. McKeldin Library is one of the largest buildings on campus,consisting of seven floors and a basement. Located at the western end of McKeldin Mall, the library houses the university's 90,000 volume East Asia Collection, serves as a regional Federal depository library, housing the U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services collection, and hosts the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH), to go along with the university's General Collection. Also housed in McKeldin Library is a computer lab, copy shop, and Footnotes Café. [Thanks to Wikipedia]
Doe Library, University of California, Berkeley, California
[LIB4930] - In 1869, UC Berkeley was the first University Library in the State of California. It held 1,036 volumes to support UC's opening class of forty freshmen. The Library was open 4 to 5 p.m. [Read more fascinating history at UCB website]
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Carnegie Library,Bozeman, Montana
[LIB4882] - Steel baron Andrew Carnegie viewed public libraries as a key agent of self improvement and donated roughly $41 million for the construction of 1,679 public libraries between 1886 and 1917. The Bozeman Classical Revival landmark, one of seventeen Carnegie libraries erected in Montana, was constructed to meet the needs of a growing population and elevate the moral character of the community. Small libraries had existed in Bozeman since 1872, but by 1900 the city’s accommodations were woefully inadequate. To rectify the situation, librarian Bell Chrisman urged the city to seek Carnegie funding. On March 14, 1902, the philanthropist agreed to provide $15,000 for the building in return for “a suitable site” and the city’s pledge of $1,500 yearly support. Despite local controversy, reform-minded citizens located the new facility directly across the street from the town’s red light district in part as an incentive to improve those disreputable surroundings. To this end, architect C. S. Haire designed Bozeman’s library to resemble an ancient temple with a symmetrical Greek cross plan. The elaborate main entrance features Roman Doric columns supporting a formidable triangular pediment. In the shadow of this impressive edifice, the red light district eventually disappeared. The structure served as the community library until 1980 and then was utilized as city offices. In 1998, the building underwent extensive restoration by owners Michael E. Wheat and Michael D. Cok. [http://montanahistorywiki.pbworks.com]
Parmly Billings Library, Billings, Montana
[LIB4881] - New library to be built in Billings, Montana
Billings, Montana, will get a new library because 57 percent of voters there approved a $16 million bond referendum on Tuesday.
The Parmly Billings Library Foundation has already raised $5 million in private donations (including a $2 million anonymous donation) to help finance the new 66,000-square-foot Parmly Billings Library, which will replace a 56-year-old building in which the library has 46,000 square feet.
The Billings Gazette reported that the unofficial result was 17,181 in favor of the bond and 13,023 against it. A previous bond issue in 2002 lost 55 to 45 percent.
"This is going to be something amazing for this city," Leslie Modrow, development director for the library foundation, told the Gazette. The new library may open in late 2013.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Public Library, Plainfield, New Jersey
[LIB4876] - In 1911, Mr. Carnegie agreed to donate $50,000 for a new building. The Carnegie Building was completed in 1912 and included a large and airy, light-filled Reading Room with a 22-foot high ceiling. There was also a stack room that held 45,000 volumes and a basement lecture room that accommodated 125 people. [read more at the Website of the Plainfield Public Library]
Razed c.1967
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Parlin Library, Canton, Illinois
[LIB4862] - Public library service for Canton, Illinois was initiated in 1892 thanks to the beneficence of William Parlin, Sr., inventor and founder of the P&O Works, a plow factory that was later sold to International Harvester. Parlin bequeathed $8,000 for the construction of the Parlin Public Library, as it was initially called, in his will, under the stipulation that the City of Canton would contribute a sum of $5,000. Two short-lived controversies ensued, which involved: 1.) The level of tax mill to be levied; and 2.) An initial stipulation from the three Parlin heirs (William H. Parlin, Jr., Clara Parlin and Alice (Parlin) Ingersoll). According the Canton Daily Register, the initial stipulation stated “in the event of the city failing to keep said building in good order and repair, and use same for public library and art building, then in that event the property is to revert back to us to the extent of said bequest.” Once these two issues were clarified, the donation was accepted by the city, city taxes were levied to raise $5,000 and the library was completed in 1896. [Read more at Parlin Library's website]
1907 Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, Massachusetts
[LIB4863] - Having a regard for her native place and being prompted by a desire to increase the opportunities for culture among its inhabitants.
With these words Mrs. Maria Hastings Cary of Brooklyn, New York, offered the Town of Lexington $1,000 for books if a free public library were established. The year was 1867. [Read more history at the website]
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
1926 Amsterdam Free Library, Amsterdam, New York
[LIB4840]- Website
The Amsterdam Free Library has been open to the public since 1903. Built with funds from Andrew Carnegie, the library has become a historic symbol of the City of Amsterdam. The Library is located adjacent to the Amsterdam Post Office and across from the Public Safety Building.
Public Library, Gilroy, California
[LIB4839] - Website
Currently houses the Gilroy Historical Museum. The Gilroy Carnegie library was the first of William H. Weeks' seven "classic Carnegies" of the Greek temple style, with pediments and columns. The interior is recognized for its central octagonal rotunda and patented skylight. At the corner of Fifth and Church streets in a tree shaded residential neighborhood, it is located near the historic downtown. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. [For more, click here]
Monday, November 7, 2011
1909 Ryerson Library, Grand Rapids, Michigan
[LIB4805] - The Grand Rapids Public Library, located in Grand Rapids, MI, was founded in 1871 and was originally located within the Grand Rapids City Hall. In 1904, the library moved to the Ryerson Building which served as a permanent home for the library. The building was a gift from arts and education benefactor, and native son, Martin A. Ryerson Jr. In 1967, the library expanded to more than double in size. [Website]
Friday, November 4, 2011
Nevins Memorial Library, Methuen, Massachusetts
[LIB2783] - The Nevins Memorial Library at 305 Broadway in Methuen, Massachusetts was built in 1883 to honor David Nevins, Sr. as a memorial gift from his wife Eliza Nevins (née Eliza Cotton), his elder son David Nevins, Jr., and his younger son Henry Cotton Nevins. The library is located at 305 Broadway in Methuen and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. [Wikipedia]
1909 Hills Memorial Library, Hudson, New Hampshire
[LIB2782] - Hills Memorial Library is the former public library of Hudson, New Hampshire in the United States. It was erected in memory of Ida Virginia Hills by her husband, Dr. Alfred Hills, and her mother, Mary Field Creutzborg. The land had been previously donated by Kimball Webster for the express purpose of building a public library. The new building was constructed over the winter of 1908-09 and opened to the public on June 12, 1909. The building itself was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 7, 1984. The town of Hudson closed the facility on May 18, 2009 as the collection was moved to the new George H. and Ella M. Rodgers Memorial Library. [Wikipedia]
Library, Mt. Hermon, Northfield, Massachusetts
[LIB2780] - Photographed and published by Harry A. Lewis, East Northfield, Massachusetts
Nott Memorial Library, Union College Campus, Schenectady, New York
[LIB2779] - The Nott Memorial is an elaborate 16-sided stone-masonry building which serves as both architectural and physical centerpiece of Union College in Schenectady, New York. Dedicated to Eliphalet Nott, president of Union for a remarkable sixty-two years (1804-1866), the 110-foot (34 m) high by 89-foot (27 m) wide structure is a National Historic Landmark. [Wikipedia]
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Moffat Library, Washingtonville, New York
[LIB2778] - Over one-hundred years have passed and the colorful prisms of light still dance across the book lined walls. This describes the ambiance of the Moffat Library as the sun wends its way through the stained glass Tiffany windows. –Historic Moffat Library, J. Versweyveld. [Website]
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