page_title: Oregon Public Library
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Oregon Public Library / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: Oregon Public Library. Oregon, Illinois. National Register of Historic Places.
context_page_description: The Oregon Public Library is located in Oregon, Illinois, United States, the county seat of Ogle County. The building is a public library that was constructed in 1909. Prior to 1909, Oregon's library was housed in different buildings, none of which were designed to house a library. The library was built using a grant from wealthy philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The grant was obtained after Oregon's citizens voted to change Oregon's library from a city library to a township library. The building was completed by 1908 but the library did not begin operation until 1909.
  The Oregon Library was designed by Chicago architects Pond and Pond. The Ponds were members of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony, founded by Lorado Taft, and their association with Taft and the colony led them to design the library. Their design was influenced by the colony, and a combination of two architectural styles, Classical Revival and the Arts and Crafts movement. The completed library included a second floor art gallery to which members of Eagle's Nest donated works for a permanent collection.
context_section_description: The library is designed with an eye toward late 19th-century and early 20th-century movements in architecture. While it contains many elements common to Classical Revival architecture, the building's asymmetry and playfully creative style are distinctly characteristic of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The building was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Pond and Pond and is constructed of buff-colored brick. Red-brick belt coursing and accents contrast the buff-colored brick on the majority of the facade. The two-story Oregon Public Library has a full brick basement and approximately 5,500 square feet (510 m²) of floor space.
  The building, though based on Classical architecture, is not entirely a Classical building. Its rooflines, main entrance, and the placement and style of the windows are all asymmetrical in nature, a hallmark of the Arts and Crafts style. Its simple massing and noticeable lack of ornamentation throughout the structure connects the building closely to the Arts and Crafts movement. This influence is seen most prominently on the building's interior.
  Though Arts and Crafts is specifically regarded as a movement within architecture, as opposed to a full-blown style, there are elements that are considered typical to buildings designed in the style. Examples include, dark, heavy woodwork and very simple ornamentation. The Oregon Public Library contains functional elements associated with that movement. Dark woodwork is found throughout the building, first in the stairwell to the gallery and its balusters and newel posts and then in the four-panel wooden interior door. The ceilings are coffered and have exposed wooden beams. Also located in the interior is a large 1909 wooden floor clock, a built-in storage cabinet, and two wooden fuse boxes that all evoke the Arts and Crafts movement.
  The building does demonstrate elements of Classical Revival architecture but they are minimal and concentrated around the front entrance. Below the front entrance hood there are two stone pilasters and a stone lintel, as well as relief work adorning the pediment; leading to the front entrance are seven concrete stairs. The entire entry facade is a gable-front, temple style design and on the library's east wing there are stone-capped modified buttresses. Each of these elements demonstrates the Classical Revival style.
caption: The ceilings, with their exposed beams, are commonly associated with Arts and Crafts.
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