I am a big fan of the public library system in the United States (or, “li-berry” as I pronounced it as a child). Reading is integral to my existence, and wherever I’ve lived or visited, I seek out the local library. Andrew Carnegie – or rather, the Carnegie Foundation of New York – helped fund 23 public libraries in Kentucky, and four libraries at institutions of higher learning – including my Alma mater, Centre College. Nine Carnegie libraries were built in Louisville, and the Western Library, located at Tenth and Chestnut Streets, was “the first library in the nation to serve and be fully operated by African Americans.”*
The Western branch of the Louisville Free Public Library system.
The Western Branch is a compact celebration of the Classical style made popular by the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. Despite only being one-story (over a basement that was designed to house a lecture room and classrooms), the building has a rich and monumental appearance.
A side elevation of the library.
The exterior of the handsome masonry building is a melding of brick and stone – although the stone appears to be winning. The five bay wide facade has expansive windows accented with stone “Gibbs surrounds,”** while the door has the same treatment, albeit with a scrolled keystone over the double entry doors.
The reference desk inside the Western Branch Library in 1927. Photograph from the Caufield & Shook Collection at the University of Louisville Photographic Archives.
“Louisville Free Public Library” is chiseled into the entablature over the entryway. The building was designed by the local firm of McDonald and Dodd, and dedicated in October 1908.
Cornerstone on the building.
The Western Branch is today home to the “African American Archives, featuring resources dedicated to African American history, including papers of the poet Joseph S. Cotter, Sr., and librarian Thomas F. Blue.”*
Photograph from the The children’s room, circa 1928. Image from the Caufield & Shook Collection at the University of Louisville Photographic Archives.
Although the library maintains its dignified exterior, the area around the building bears little resemblance to the context of the neighborhood in the early 20th century. Urban Renewal roared through this part of Louisville, and little was left standing in its wake. Thankfully, the library still stands and operates – an important building in the African American history in Louisville, and a welcome sight to all of us that love libraries and architecture.
*From the website for the Western Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library, http://www.lfpl.org/branches/western.htm
** Named for English architect James Gibbs, a Gibbs surround is basically a decorative frame of rectangular or square blocks around a window or a door. At the top of the frame is typically a keystone and voussoirs.
