Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-02-07
4 100000 LIBRARY.
The Noble Structure at Madison
VIII be Finished by June.
1T IS A DREAM in WHITE STONE.


in Design Reading Room 100 Feet
Long-Clever Italians Do Art Work.
Madison Wis. Feb. e.--The new Ii
bfary of the university campus for
which the legislature has appropriated
$620,000 will be finished by July |.
Indeed. the present contractor will be
out before that Then the furniture,
desks. carpets, etc. will go in and the
books, and then the reading public will
be able to enjoy this superb structure
at the opening Of the college year.
| went through the building the
other day. 1t is on the lower campus
at the base of the college hill. the loca.
ton being mistake, the best judges
think. 1t would have been in noble
position further up the hill, and not
block the academic view as one APP
preached the university.
o
The building itself is satisfactory. Ii
is an oblong of white. severe but grace
fnl. with great columns and colossal
fret work. n the moonlight, when /
enjoy looking at it, it seems a fairy
cloud structure, yet strongly anchored.
The frontage is 90 feet and the build
ing Is GO feet high. 1t is built of Bed
ford, Indiana. limestone, a near ap-
proach to the mort expensive marble
This stone lends Itself well to classic
uses. A majority of the classic public
buildings of the country, the Chicago
library among them, are made from
this Indiana limestone. The Milwau-
kees library is little larger. costing
100000, but that IL Corinthian, rather
than Ionic in treatment. The latter
carries more dignity of expression its
surfaces are more plain and sedate.
%
As one approaches this Madison Ii
brary he confronts ten great colmnS
80 feet high and 3 TT. 6 in. in diameter.
They cost about 500 each. These are
not solid. but are quarried and worked
into fourfeet lengths. 1t is a curious
fact that in order to correct the visual
error and to cause these columns to
appear at Il distance erect and of uni
form size, it is necessary to make
them sBaIler at the top. One may
imagine the skill required to flute and
match these four-foot lengths in this
tapering form. The ancient Greeks
knew we'll the Importance of this arch
itectufdi UeCepIlOU.
Entering the building there are two
halls or corridors running the full
length and intersecting at right angles
On the south end of the building near
State street are the quarters of the
state historical library, with museum,
etc. That library has wing to the
rear of three stories or six half stories
in which to house its books The uni
versity library at the opposite end Of
the buildin has no such wing in the
present structure (althOugh a place to
put it in is provided in the plans and
the wall left blind" Consequently
any books the college library owns
must be hous ed wherever in the build
ing a place can be found. In other
words, the legislature must appropri-
ate for this wing at some future time
But it can never be done so chcaply
as now. while work is going on. Prob
ably $4,000 would do it. 1t is unfortu-
nate.
The commission are working hard,
even sacrificing some good things, in
order to keen within the appropriation.
OF this commission Senator Stout is
chairman. Mr.. l.. s. Hanks, the Mad
ison banker, is vice president of rhe
commission and on him as chairman
of the executive and official committees
has rested 4 large part of the response
bility and to him is due much of the
credit. OF course Librarian Thwaites'
suggestions have been constant and
valuable. The excellence of the build
ing is a subject of general approval.
Y nIN
plant by the day have said in un-
guarded conversation that the best of
workmanship was going into it.
.
The main reading room, on the sec
Ond story, is a delight to look upon
1t is 100 feet long and so feet wide,
and its 80 feet height capped by
skylight of stained glass. This is sup
plemented ~ twenty-five great win
dows looking east giving abundant
light. There will be twenty reading
tables on this great floor, each accom-
modating twelve persons; and from
above visitors gallery, fenced in by
columns, will look down on the busy
hut silent spectacle of youth absorb
ing knowledge. Nothing could be
finer or more Symmetrical or better light
ed than this great room.
o
In the historical library at present
patrons are allowed large liberty in
going behind the counter and prowling
around among the books. 1t is a glori-
GUS privilege to book-lovers, but III
modern libraries it is not so. In this
new building the patron will face
handsome counter and meekly express
his wishes, after which swift messen-
ger boys will disappear in the wings
where books are kept in long steel
racks (the bookshelf must gO) and
bring back the one book wanted.
Whether a 'avored few of MS with a
pull of acquaintance or admiration
will be allowed IN paw over Mr..
ThwaiteS' treasures or not remains to
he seen.
An Indulgence of decorative luxury
are two posts on the lOgia or colon
made. each IL feet high, and on these
will be fastened globes Of opalescent
glass. In these twelve electric lights
will sputter and sparkle. making
bewitching effect, especially on COM
mencement night when heart of maid
and swain lend themselves readily to
romantic impressions.
At times there have been $50 men
at work on this great building. At
present there are Seventy-five. There
is considerable mosaic floor work and
this is the exclusive industry in this
country Of Italians saw dozen of
them at work on their hands and
knees. They also have had a large
part in the modelling and other Gecora-
tive work. The stche has all been cut
and polished in Madison, Contractor
Harry Johnson having established his
own sheds Mr.. Johnson, by the way,
has had an interesting exnerience He
started life as Canadian brick-layer;
indeed, he can carry hod to beat any
man in Madison. In order to show
the men how to do the best work, he
has himself for days at n time laid
brick in this building. Mr.. Johnson
calls Omaha his home and among his
contracts are some Notable buildings.
such as the Chamber of Commerce
structure in Portland, Ore. Union de-
pot in Omaha; the Chemical building
in st. Louis and some OF the Worlds
fair buildings.
MIR. Bentley took hold of this library
in August, 1897 After Contractor
Bentley had worked for year putting
up one end of the building TO a height
of one story-a 100000 job-he failed
in business. Johnson's contract is a
S300,00 affair. besides which are special
contracts for stone carving and pas
senger elevator. these already per-
formed, and steel book stacks and