Georgetown Neighborhood Library | |
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38°54′48″N77°03′57″W / 38.9134447°N 77.0658109°W [1] | |
Location | 3260 R St. NW Washington, D.C. 20007, United States |
Type | Public library |
Established | 1935 |
Architect(s) | Nathan C. Wyeth |
Branch of | District of Columbia Public Library |
Other information | |
Website | www |
The Georgetown Neighborhood Library is a branch of the District of Columbia Public Library located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Established by an Act of Congress in 1934, the library houses the collection of its predecessor Peabody Library, which was founded in 1872 by a donation of George Peabody. The library opened in 1935 upon completion of the building, designed by Nathan C. Wyeth in the Colonial Revival style. It holds the only collection of materials relating to Georgetown's history in the public library system.
The first attempts at creating a public library in Georgetown came in 1867 when the financier George Peabody donated funds to a Board of Trustees of the Peabody Library Association to establish a library for the citizens of Georgetown. The board, chaired by William Wilson Corcoran, invested Peabody's $15,000 donation until March 1872, when they opened the Peabody Library inside the Curtis School on O Street, across from St. John's Episcopal Church. The District of Columbia Public Schools offered them a room in the school free of charge. [2]
Eventually, the library outgrew its location, and local citizens' associations sought to build a larger library. [2] In 1934, Congress appropriated $150,000 for the construction of a branch of the District of Columbia Public Library in Georgetown. [3] A site was selected atop a hill on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and R Street, the location of the former reservoir. [4] Consequently, the hill and the park that occupies its southern slope became known as Book Hill. [5] The reputed municipal architect for the District of Columbia, Nathan C. Wyeth, [2] designed the Colonial Revival building, [6] whose architecture was designed to blend into the surrounding neighborhood. The library opened in October 1935. [2]
The Georgetown Neighborhood Library was renovated to modernize the building in 1976. With the reorganization of the D.C. Public Library system into regions centered on one large hub branch, the Georgetown Library was designated a regional library in 1977. The Board of Trustees of the Peabody Library Association was dissolved in 1979 and donated its holdings to the D.C. Public Library on the condition that they remain in the Georgetown branch. The library maintains a Peabody Room, which houses materials related to Georgetown's history, including the former Peabody Library, and is the only special collection related to Georgetown's history in Washington. This is also the only collection on local history in any neighborhood library in the city. [2]
In 2007, a large fire broke out at the library, severely damaging much of the building and causing the roof to collapse. The fire irreparably damaged some of the library's holdings and artwork, including the historic Peabody collection. [7] Repairs and a major renovation were completed in 2010. [6]
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also Massachusetts' Library for the Commonwealth, meaning all adult residents of the state are entitled to borrowing and research privileges, and the library receives state funding. The Boston Public Library contains approximately 24 million items, making it the third-largest public library in the United States behind the federal Library of Congress and New York Public Library, which is also privately endowed. In 2014, the library held more than 10,000 programs, all free to the public, and lent 3.7 million materials.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with Maryland to its north and east. It was named for George Washington, the first president of the United States. The district is named for Columbia, the female personification of the nation.
Georgetown is a historic neighborhood and commercial district in Northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751 as part of the colonial-era Province of Maryland, Georgetown predated the establishment of Washington, D.C. by 40 years. Georgetown was an independent municipality until 1871 when the United States Congress created a new consolidated government for the entire District of Columbia. A separate act, passed in 1895, repealed Georgetown's remaining local ordinances and renamed Georgetown's streets to conform with those in Washington, D.C.
Bolling v. Sharpe, 347 U.S. 497 (1954), is a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the Constitution prohibits segregated public schools in the District of Columbia. Originally argued on December 10–11, 1952, a year before Brown v. Board of Education, Bolling was reargued on December 8–9, 1953, and was unanimously decided on May 17, 1954, the same day as Brown. The Bolling decision was supplemented in 1955 with the second Brown opinion, which ordered desegregation "with all deliberate speed". In Bolling, the Court did not address school desegregation in the context of the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, which applies only to the states, but rather held that school segregation was unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Court observed that the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution lacked an Equal Protection Clause, as in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. However, the Court held that the concepts of equal protection and due process are not mutually exclusive, establishing the reverse incorporation doctrine.
Embassy Row is the informal name for a section of Northwest Washington, D.C., with a high concentration of embassies, diplomatic missions, and diplomatic residences. It spans Massachusetts Avenue N.W. between 18th and 35th street, bounded by Scott Circle to the south and the United States Naval Observatory to the north; the term is often applied to nearby streets and neighborhoods that also host diplomatic buildings, such as Kalorama.
William Wilson Corcoran was an American banker, philanthropist, and art collector. He founded the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
The history of Washington, D.C., is tied to its role as the capital of the United States. The site of the District of Columbia along the Potomac River was first selected by President George Washington. The city came under attack during the War of 1812 in an episode known as the Burning of Washington. Upon the government's return to the capital, it had to manage the reconstruction of numerous public buildings, including the White House and the United States Capitol. The McMillan Plan of 1901 helped restore and beautify the downtown core area, including establishing the National Mall, along with numerous monuments and museums.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (MLKML) is the central facility of the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL), constructed and named in honor of the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Its address is 901 G St. NW in Downtown Washington, D.C., with its main entrance between 9th and 10th St. on the opposite corner to Gallery Place station, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The library is located in and around the Chinatown, Mount Vernon Square, and Penn Quarter neighborhoods.
The District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) is the public library system for Washington, D.C. The system includes 26 individual libraries including Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, DCPL's central library.
The District of Columbia has a mayor–council government that operates under Article One of the United States Constitution and the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. The Home Rule Act devolves certain powers of the United States Congress to the local government, which consists of a mayor and a 13-member council. However, Congress retains the right to review and overturn laws created by the council and intervene in local affairs.
Washington, D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. Below is a list of Washington, D.C.-related articles.
The Mount Pleasant Library at 1600 Lamont Street, NW in Washington, DC is a branch of the District of Columbia Public Library System that opened in May 1925, and is the third oldest public library building still in use in Washington.
William Syphax School, now known as Syphax Village, is a historic former school building in the Southwest Quadrant of Washington, D.C. that now houses condominiums. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Frederick Hiester Brooke was an American architect from Washington, D.C., who designed houses, schools, churches, and embassies during his 40-year career. A native of Pennsylvania, Brooke studied in the US and France before opening his practice in the nation's capital. He served overseas during World War I and would later design a memorial in West Potomac Park which honors local soldiers. He was an active member in several professional organizations, most notably the American Institute of Architects. Brooke's wife, Henrietta, served as president of the Girl Scouts in the 1930s. Among Brooke's notable works are Dumbarton Oaks, the District of Columbia War Memorial, the Sulgrave Club and the British Ambassador's residence, which he codesigned with Edwin Lutyens.
Nathan Corwith Wyeth was an American architect. He is best known for designing the West Wing of the White House, creating the first Oval Office. He designed a large number of structures in Washington, D.C., including the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Potomac River, the USS Maine Mast Memorial, the D.C. Armory, the Tidal Basin Inlet Bridge, many structures that comprise Judiciary Square, and numerous private homes—many of which now serve as embassies. He also co-designed the Cannon House Office Building, the Russell Senate Office Building, the Longworth House Office Building, and an addition to the Russell Senate Office Building.
Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library is part of the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) System. It was originally opened to the public in 1961. A new building on the same site, designed by award-winning architect David Adjaye, opened on June 19, 2012.
The Henry J. Daly Building is located at 300 Indiana Avenue, NW, and 301 C Street, NW, in the Judiciary Square neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. The administrative building is owned by the government of the District of Columbia and has served as the home of various city offices since it opened in 1941 as a unified location for previously dispersed municipal functions. Currently, the building is primarily occupied by the Metropolitan Police Department; although the District of Columbia Department of Corrections, the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer and the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) also maintain offices in the building.
Albert L. Harris was an American architect who worked primarily in Washington, D.C. He was born in Wales and emigrated to the United States as a young child. He worked for architectural firms in Chicago and Baltimore and then Washington, where he also obtained an architectural degree from George Washington University. He was a part-time professor there while also working for the US Navy and then the city of Washington where he served as the city's Municipal Architect from 1921 until his death in 1933. A number of his works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
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