AT THE LIBRARY - EVEN THE STAIRWAYS ARE ELEGANT

Still at the central branch of the St. Louis Public Library. Two main stairways face each other across the center entrance hall. They are less ornate than some of the rooms but give me the sense that you are ascending into something important. I wish I had better pictures of the stained glass windows on the landings. This one is a allegory of the arts of poetry and music.

Off to Kansas City again this afternoon. We hope we dodge the storms that are again rolling through the area. Tomorrow further into the Kansas prairie for a gathering of Mrs. C's family.            

SOME READING, SOME SHOOTING

The opposite side of the large reading room at Central Library Branch, behind where I was standing for yesterday's post. There are people reading or on their laptops at the tables. The woman in the entry, the man in the pink shirt and the one in the yellow shirt on the floor are participants in the photography workshop.              

CENTRAL LIBRARY READING ROOM

This is the main reading room of the restored St. Louis Central Library, giving a sense of its architectural grace. The low light and warmth of the honey-colored stone makes it feel quieter than the usual library hush. The view is from the middle of the room. Behind me are a number of dark heavy oak tables and chairs. The library often has special exhibits that are set up in this open area.                 

AT THE LIBRARY

You probably didn't know that there is an International Photography Hall of Fame. It's even more unlikely that you know it's located here. From time to time IPHF and excellent local photographer Richard Sprengler put on workshops in architectural photography, concentrating on our local building heritage. 

One such program was held yesterday at the St. Louis Public Library's Central Branch. It opened in 1912 and became worn over the decades. A massive restoration and addition of a new wing led to its reopening in 2012. It's gorgeous inside and we will head there next.            

A Final Note From The Library

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There were probably rare or historical documents behind this heavy glass door at the restored library. However, I want to get a sticker made just like the sign and put it on my forehead. The world is too intrusive, too much stuff shouting for my attention.

After that's done, I might have the time and peace of mind to enter the room in the second picture. The specter of that dark reflection in the center might put me off, though.

PS: if you would like to see something that will make you feel good - I mean really good - in this sorry world, look at this five minute video that was in the web edition of yesterday's New York Times. A self-styled preacher, known in this country for his virulently anti-Muslim views, started spewing in Times Square one day last summer. A passer-by started singing a song very loudly. Soon the whole crowd joined him in a Beatles tune everyone knows, drowning out the hate. Made my day.

St. Louis Central Library Reopening: Dream

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I think I'll wrap up this series with today's and tomorrow's posts. There are more images from the library on Flickr here. Might even edit a few more in my spare time, should I ever have any.

The top picture is of a special room for teens. It's good advice. Nothing will change unless you consider a different future. However, the people involved in the opening of the library in 1912 could not have dreamed of what it has become today. Sometimes people try to predict the future. That's useful, too, because such predictions are never right. They just sort of narrow the range of possibilities.     

St. Louis Central Library Reopening: First Lines

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The entirely new north entrance to the library opens onto a room that has recessed ovals in the ceiling. Each contains the first line of a book. The top one is from Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five. The words below are the opening of The End Of The Affair by Graham Greene. Both quotes give us something to reflect on after the events of Friday in Connecticut.

St. Louis Central Library Reopening: Old Design Restored

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The interior of the 1912 Central Branch Library contained a sampler of architectural styles. Much of it has been lovingly restored, yet enhanced with modern technology.

I'm afraid that I buzzed through the building rather quickly, grabbing images rather than learning the purpose of each room. The top image, though, is the transept inside the main entrance. The stairs lead up to the pair of large stained glass windows, one of which we saw a few days ago.

The second picture is something of a great hall. Not exactly a main reading room - it doesn't have any books - and I suspect that the library would like to rent it as event space. Since the library is ten minutes walk from my office, I can see the possibility of going there to get some work done without interruption.

The next two rooms are notable for their ceilings. I don't know enough to identify the style of the green and gold molding, but a staff member told me it was made of painted plaster. The last room has a decorated wood beam ceiling in a Renaissance style.

Other parts pf the library are quite modern. The transition can be jarring but the new parts are, in their own way, just as powerful. Some of that tomorrow.     

St. Louis Central Library Reopening: 20th Century Art

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Almost all of the 20th Century art I saw in the library was from the 1930s. That's a strong suggestion that the works were part of the many federally-financed arts projects during the Great Depression.

The first two images are from a painting called Adult Education. That was one of the main reasons for libraries according to the spirit of the day. If I remember correctly the painting was dated 1936.

The third image is a mosaic on a fireplace in the children's room. It's a little difficult to decipher. My guess is that it shows a Native American man building and/or using a fire. I had to zoom way in on the original to see small inscriptions on the bottom of each of the three main panels. The best I can tell is that the first two contain the letters DS and the third the number 38, probably referring to 1938.

The last is a painting of the Mississippi River, seen from a wooded hilltop. It's called Rival of the Rhine. Wrong. I've seen the Rhine and it is nowhere near as magnificent as the Mississippi.     

St. Louis Central Library Reopening: 19th Century Art

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There is a lot of interesting art around the restored library. No idea how much of this was on display before the project began. I could only shoot parts of what's now on the walls because of the crowds.

The first piece is a illustration of the downtown waterfront in 1855. Almost no resemblance to what it looks like today. The only link is the dome in the center, the top of what we now call The Old Courthouse. All of the surrounding warehouses and tenements were cleared out for the Arch's park in the middle 1960s. 

I didn't see any date on the second picture. Propeller screws replaced paddle wheels for propulsion some time in the 19th Century. Any St. Louisan knows that the building in the background is the Anheuser-Busch brewery and that opened in 1852. 

We will go a century forward tomorrow.   

St. Louis Central Library Reopening: Ceremony

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It's a public event so there had to be speeches by dignitaries and officials. Among those present were Mayor Francis Slay (above center). library executive director Walter McGuire (above right and bottom photo), Alderwoman Phyllis Young, whose ward includes downtown, Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed (fourth picture, right center) and alderman Freeman Bosley, who has been on the board longer than anyone can remember (fourth picture, right).

McGuire mentioned that when the library first opened in 1912, the speeches went on for three hours. Attention spans are shorter these days.

We go inside tomorrow.

Artes Litterae

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Artes Litterae - literary arts - are one of the foundations of libraries. The Central Branch of the St. Louis Public Library, established in 1912, had its reopening yesterday and, ladies and gentlemen, it is spectacular. Literature and anything else you could want in print abounds. The architecture is stunning.

I took a lot of pictures, maybe enough for this whole week. These are a first few edits. Above, one of a pair of stained glass windows at the top of the twin staircases leading up from the the central hall. We'll get to the other one. The second picture was shot in the main conference room. It appears that a few details still need to be straightened out. At the bottom, one of a set of huge - what? - Gummi Bears? - that welcome visitors to the children's room.

Lots more to edit.