Cleo Rogers Memorial Library | |
---|---|
Main Library | |
General information | |
Type | Public Library |
Architectural style | International |
Address | 536 Fifth Street |
Town or city | Columbus, Indiana |
Coordinates | 39°12′14.23″N85°55′8.02″W / 39.2039528°N 85.9188944°W |
Construction started | December 1966 |
Completed | December 1969 |
Inaugurated | May 1971 |
Renovated | 1989 |
Cost | $2,007,000 |
Owner | Bartholomew County Library Association |
Technical details | |
Structural system | Brick and concrete |
Floor count | Original 52,500 + Addition 11,700 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | I.M. Pei |
Architecture firm | I. M. Pei & Partners |
Structural engineer | Weiskopf & Pickworth |
Services engineer | Segner and Dalton |
Other designers | Kenneth D.B. Carruthers |
Main contractor | Dunlap & Company |
Renovating team | |
Architect(s) | James K. Paris |
Renovating firm | Architect Group, Inc |
Website | |
http://www.barth.lib.in.us |
The Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, also known as the Main Library, is the flagship library of the Bartholomew County Public Library system. It includes a branch in Hope, Indiana, and a bookmobile that serves the county. The building was designed by I. M. Pei & Partners and constructed by Dunlap & Company, completed in 1969, and dedicated in 1971. It is notable for its design of red brick with concrete details and its Library Plaza, an urban space punctuated by the sculpture, "Large Arch" by Henry Moore. It is named for Cleo Rogers (1905–1964) who was the county librarian for 28 years and assistant librarian for nine years.
In 1899 a library in the county first began occupying two rooms inside the original Columbus City Hall at the southwest corner of Fifth and Franklin Streets. [1] The library's immediate popularity led the community to request funds from the well-known philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, who was widely known for financing the construction of libraries throughout the United States. [2]
While Columbus has always contained the main branch of the Bartholomew County system, a branch has existed in Hope, Indiana in various locations at the same time. In 1966 a rented space was acquired on the town square and in 1998 a dedicated branch was opened that was designed by Deborah Berke & Partners Architects.
The first library in Bartholomew County stood on the corner of what was then Fifth and Mechanics Street (Mechanics was later renamed to Lafayette Avenue). This plot of land was donated to the county by Columbus resident Joseph I. Irwin. The original building was designed by John W. Gaddis of Vincennes, Indiana and dedicated on June 1, 1903. The construction cost was $19,200 with $15,000 coming from a donation from Andrew Carnegie and the remaining $4,200 obtained from taxation. [3] This library was then known as the "Columbus Public Library," but after 1923 became known as the "Columbus-Bartholomew County Library" with service to the entire county. [1]
By the late 1950s the needs of the county had outgrown the first building and required a larger library. The project was funded by a $1 million bond and donations from the community, [4] including an $800,000 grant from Cummins Engine Foundation. [5] However, this project was not directly part of the Cummins Foundation Architectural Program.
From the beginning, the intention of the library and the plaza was to transform this part of the city so that it would positively affect the surrounding area and encourage residents to stay downtown. [6] The completion of this project also meant the demolition of the old library building and the closure of Lafayette Avenue between fifth and sixth.
By the early 1960s a number of modern buildings by young architects had been built in Columbus through the Cummins Foundation Architectural Program, however this building was not one of those projects. The Bartholomew County Library Association Board decided on their own to work with Pei.
When Pei was offered the opportunity to build the library, he seized it in order to create a project that would transform the downtown area with the addition of a civic plaza in front of the library. The design and placement of the library, plaza, and sculpture directly relate to and recognize the design of First Christian Church (designed by Eliel Saarinen and completed in 1942), and the Irwin House, (designed by Henry Ayling Phillips and completed in 1910). Pei felt that the project "should occupy a space which would be quiet yet dignified; that it be easily accessible to the great majority of people, both young and old; that is location create an area of urban space, and that it take into consideration the future growth of the community and its character." [7]
Brick was used as the primary building material for the library, and as a traditional load bearing masonry system; concrete and limestone is used as detailed elements. This brick pavilion has solid walls on the east and west and has its main entrance off center at the west end. The deeply recessed windows associated with the entrance are of a scale that relate to First Christian Church across the street, while the windows on the east end are shorter and relate to the scale of the sculpture and the Irwin house nearby.
Inside the building the brick, concrete, and limestone details carry through. The ceiling is a coffered concrete system with deep inset square elements that contain light fixtures.
The Library Plaza was a significant part of Pei's design. Before the Library Plaza was built there were few civic gathering spots in the city. The first park in the city, known as Commercial Park, Central Park, and City Park, remained just east of the first Columbus City Hall on the site which is now part of the courtyard of the First Christian Church. [8] Pei believed that by creating the Library Plaza he would be creating the first "truly urban space" to Columbus. [9]
At the 1971 dedication, I. M. Pei spoke about the importance of the interrelationship between the parts of the Library Plaza: "So here I am today very proud, and very happy to dedicate the Library, and also to dedicate the 'Large Arch', but more important than both of these is to be here to dedicate this open space, which is now yours. Eliel Saarinen's church, our building here, Moore's 'Arch', Irwin's house, each is made more important by the presence of this open space, yet this open space is more than the sum of all of these." [10]
The same brick and concrete materials used on the library were used on the plaza. Pei's hope was that the plaza would be compared to the vital public plazas of European cities. For many years, the Library Plaza has been used for art fairs, concerts, and other community events including "Popfest," which existed for 29 years. [11]
After 15 years, it was clear that library offerings needed to be expanded. Columbus-based architect James K. Paris of Architect Group, Inc. was chosen to make an addition to the back of the building in order to add the "Indiana Room," which houses books relating to Columbus, Bartholomew County, the State of Indiana, and family history; it also added room for the fiction collection and reference section. [11]
The addition was highlighted by the addition of a two-story glass covered atrium that joins the two buildings. This addition occupies a space at the back of the building that was designed to be an outdoor courtyard.
The Library Plaza was renovated to accommodate a wheelchair accessible ramp on the west side of the plaza. This work was completed in a brick sympathetic to that which was used originally in the 1960s.
By early 2012, [12] the Library Board began considering alterations to the plaza that would better connect the Columbus Area Visitors Center and the Library, and at the same time make the Library Plaza more inviting for visitors. After considerable discussion and some revision through community meetings and discussions with Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, [13] a plan was created that preserved the original intentions of Pei. In the end, this solution and process were celebrated by community leaders. [14] [15]
Columbus is a city in, and the county seat of, Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 50,474 at the 2020 census. The city is known for its architectural significance, having commissioned noted works of modern architecture and public art since the mid-20th century; the annual program Exhibit Columbus celebrates this legacy. Located about 40 mi (64 km) south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th-largest city. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Indiana metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Bartholomew County. Columbus is the birthplace of former Indiana Governor and former Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence.
Ieoh Ming Pei was a Chinese-American architect. Born in Guangzhou into a Chinese family, Pei drew inspiration at an early age from the garden villas at Suzhou, the traditional retreat of the scholar-gentry to which his family belonged. In 1935, he moved to the United States and enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania's architecture school, but quickly transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Unhappy with the focus on Beaux-Arts architecture at both schools, he spent his free time researching emerging architects, especially Le Corbusier.
Eamonn Kevin Roche was an Irish-born American Pritzker Prize-winning architect. Kevin Roche was the archetypal modernist and "member of an elite group of third generation modernist architects — James Stirling, Jorn Utzon, and Robert Venturi — and is considered to be the most logical and systematic designer of the group. He and his partner John Dinkeloo of the firm KRJDA produced over a half-century of matchless creativity."
The Irwin Conference Center was designed by Eero Saarinen and built in 1954 in Columbus, Indiana, United States. It is currently owned and operated by Cummins, whose world headquarters is located across Jackson Street in the Cummins Corporate Office Building. In recognition of its unique and beautiful design, the resource was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 2001.
Joseph Irwin Miller was an American industrialist, patron of modern architecture, and lay leader in the Christian ecumenical movement and civil rights. He was instrumental in the rise of the Cummins Corporation and in giving his home town international stature with its modern architecture buildings.
The Baltimore World Trade Center is a 30-story skyscraper located on the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland designed by the architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners with principal architects Henry N. Cobb and Pershing Wong.
The John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse is a federal courthouse for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, located on Fan Pier on the Boston, Massachusetts waterfront. Named after Congressman Joe Moakley, the 675,000-square-foot (62,700 m2) building was completed in 1999 at a cost of $170 million and has won many design awards.
James Ingo Freed was an American architect born in Essen, Germany. After coming to the United States at age nine with his sister Betty, followed later by their parents, he studied at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he graduated with a degree in architecture.
Dallas City Hall is the seat of municipal government of the city of Dallas, Texas, United States. It is located at 1500 Marilla Street in the Government District of downtown Dallas. The current building, the city's fifth city hall, was completed in 1978 and replaced the Dallas Municipal Building.
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The Cummins Corporate Office Building in Columbus, Indiana is a modernist office building designed by Kevin Roche. Constructed in 1983, the building serves as the corporate headquarters of the Cummins engine company. It was constructed on an old railroad yard and is unique for being built around the Cerealine Building, which was Cummins' first factory building.
The Republic is an American daily newspaper published in Columbus, Indiana, United States. It is owned by AIM Media Indiana, a subsidiary of AIM Media.
The Columbus Pump House, which is also known as the Columbus Power House and the Senior Center, was designed by the architect Harrison Albright and completed in 1903. It stands on the banks of the East Fork of the White River at the foot of Second Street in Columbus, Indiana, US. From 1903 to 1951, it was the city's water works and pumped water from the river for domestic use. It also produced electricity for the city's street lighting. The city sold the property in 1952 and it was renovated to become Southern Machine Company. With a 1976 renovation it became the "Senior Center", which used the building until 2011, and in 2016, it was renovated to become a restaurant for the Upland Brewing Company.
Charles Franklin Sparrell was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1852 and died in Newport, Kentucky in 1934. His father was John Turner Sparrell, Jr., a marble worker, and farmer. His mother was Elizabeth Ann (Provoost) Sparrell. He was the most influential architect in the city of Columbus, Indiana in the late 19th century. When he arrived in the city in the early 1880s he was credited as having attended an "institute of technology" in Massachusetts, but Massachusetts Institute of Technology does not list him as an alumnus. More than 10 of his buildings remain in the city, many of which are on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Bartholomew County, Indiana.
Large Arch is an outdoor sculpture by British sculptor Henry Moore. It was installed in 1971 and is located in the outdoor plaza of the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library in Columbus, Indiana. Xenia and J. Irwin Miller commissioned the sculpture and gave it to the library. The sculpture is nearly 20 feet tall and is made of sandcast bronze that has been patinated.
Araldo Cossutta was an architect who worked primarily in the United States. He worked at the firm I. M. Pei & Partners from 1956 to 1973. I. M. Pei has been among the most honored architects in the world. Cossutta was Pei's associate and ultimately his partner in the first phase of Pei's career. He was responsible for some of the firm's best-known designs from that era, including three that have received "landmark" designations in recent years. In 1973 he and Vincent Ponte left Pei's firm to form Cossutta & Ponte, which ultimately became Cossutta and Associates. The new firm designed the Credit Lyonnais Tower in Lyon, France (1977) and the Tower at Cityplace (1988) in Dallas, Texas, among other commissions.
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