Evening star., 1896-11-27
Mr.. Bernard B. Green Describes the
Congressional Library.
ITS BEAUTY AND PERFECTION
Mechanism Hitherto Unknown in
the Care of Books.
1T COVERS THREE ACRES

the washington Library Association
listened last evening at the Columbian Uni
versity to a paper by Mr.. Bernard R.
Green, describing the new Congressional
Library building. As Mr.. Green has since
1888 been in charge Of every part Of the
cor struction Of the building and has de-
signed most of its essential features, adopt
ing 1t to library uses, his account of the
structure was most thoroughly interesting
The building is already practically
finished" said Mr.. Green. Many a build
ing is considered completed long before it
Is so near 1t to the minutest detail as this
one is. In the most comprehensive sense,
1t Is the largest, most beautiful, monu-
mental, best appointed and therefore the
grandest structure that the world has yet
erected for the purposes of library. There
will doubtless be improvements on this
building. for 1t was preceded by few or
no good examples of library construction
The library was suggested by Librarian
opoHords annual report in 1872 In 1885
the act adopting the Smithmeyer plan and
designating the site now occupied was
passed. Mr. Lamar, the Secretary Of the
Interior; Mr.. Spofford and Mr.. Clarke, ar
chitect of the Capitol, were appointed
commission to>have charge Of condemning
the site and erecting the building. The
clearing OF the seventy houses on the site
took up the first year. The excavation of
the foundation occupied another In the
thiro year q part of the foundations were
la1d In 1883 Congress placed the work in
cnarge OF Gen. Casey. then just appointed
chief of engineers Of the army He was
required to prepare a new plan, which
could be carried out within a cost limit of
s4,OOO.OOO.
The original plan," said Mr. Green. ''be-
Ing good, If not perfect, without more ado
we adopted 1t as basis and worked up the
$4.OO,OOO plan called for, but took the op-
portunity to place with it before Congress
a modification Of the original plan, re-
tanning practically Its full dimensions and
giving complete description and esti-
mate of cost. Congress adopted this en-
lcrged plan with cost limit of &c.
25O,OoO. and eight years time in which to
construct the building. Mr.. Pelz, Mr..
Smithmeyer's partner was employed in the
architectural part of the work for about
three years and a half. Then Mr.. Edward
the supervisor and designer of the artistic
work OF the interior. as well as the ex-
terror grounds.
The Octagon Rotunda.
The great central feature of the building
Is the octagon rotunda, crowned by the
dome, and constituting the public reading
room, 1OO feet diameter in clear by 125 feet
high. 1t contains the center of administra-
tion or the library proper, and is surround
ed with alcoves in two tiers, surrounded by
a spacious public gallery, the entrance and
hall Independent of the entrances to the
reading room. The three inner wings ad-
Joining the octagon on its north, east and
south sides are devoted entirely to the
storage OF books and are, therefore con-
structed especially fol. and filled with, shely-
Ing on the stack plan. This shelving ex-
tends from the basement floor level in nine
stories or tiers. to the roof. AS will be OBJ
served, the plan Of the building is perfectly
symmetrical on its east and west axis, the
north and south halves being precisely
alike. The exterior dimensions are 40 feet
by $40 feet. and the area covered is three
proches and boiler house. The basem ant
story is fourteen feet, the first story, TWEEN
ty-one feet. and the second story, twenty
eight feet high. floor to floor, all being null
feet. The main floors OF the building thus
coincide with the corresponding stack
decks. and door Is placed at each juno
ton Herewith. north. south and east La
pavilions. the main stair hall and the base
ment of the octagon.
The plan especially provides for the 60
called central system of administration,
Museum, the general readers make all ap-
plicatfons and receive and return their
books at the desk in the center Of the read
ing room. In this building the whole work
and managed from the central desk The
latter includes the catalogue counter and
contains the attendants. with all requisite
apparatus for communication and trans
portation at hand, and an elevated station
from which every reader in the room NAV
be observed at all times.
The reading tables are arranged around
the central desk in three consecutive cir
cles. The inner one Is a combination of
reading tables, settees and standing writ
ing desks. or counters, containing shelves
for printed catalogues. etc. The other two
circles Of readers tables are double faced,
n To Oft 1t%1
Allowing four feet of width to each, 246
readers may be accommodated at one time
and more by seating them closer.
This concentric circular arrangement is
a uniform distribution of space, gives a
more symmetrical appearance to the room
and places the greater part Of the seats
around the more quiet margin, remote
from the central desk.
Shelving Is placed in the two tiers of
alcoves surrounding the reading room SUBJ
dividing them into spaces wherein special
students. or readers desiring privacy and
quiet may be accommodated. Forty-three
such spaces, each from eight to ten feet
square, are thus provided, and each reader
therein may have table and facilities for
writing and extended investigation. A
stairway in each of the eight great piers
which surround the reading room and car
ry the dome, gives access to every tier of
the alcoves.
The reading room is lighted mainly by
eight semi-circular clere story windows
each thirtytwo feet wide, occupying the
arches between the main piers above the
public gallery and above the adjacent roofs
of the building. The sills of these windows
are about fifty-ive feet above the floor ad-
mitting the light so high that they are
more effective than skylights without any
of their evils. No shadows are cast in any
direction, the amount of daylight Is suffi-
cient in the darkest days, and the readers
eye meets no direct light unless cast up
ward at an angle of thirty degrees or
more. The interior is yellow sienna and
quiet red African marble up to the gallery,
above which the color is lighter yellow,
merging into ivory and gold in the vault of
the dome.
1.-THE central desk contains a set Of twen-
ty-four pneumatic tubes, one to each desk
of the north and south stacks, four to the
east stack, one to the librarians office and
one to the Capitol. All carry messages
swiftly, and all but the last one are speak
ing tubes Of the best quality. The central
desk will also contain the terminals of
mechanical book carriers to the north and
south stacks, and telephone communica-
ton with the librarians office, the terminal
station in the Capitol and both houses Of
Congress. Wires are also laid, by means Of
which any electric communication may be
had at any time with any part and between
all parts of the building.
1.-The construction of the building is mon
umental and permanent being heavy and
solid, and, of course, fire-proof through
out. The exterior walls are of New Hamp-
shire granite; the court walls of English
enameled bricks. trimmed with Maryland