The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-09-24
THE NET PIBLIC LIBRiRT
The Building on FITth Avenue From an
NrchIi ccturaI Point of View.

Tn" American public library has no,
attempted To solicit patronage by "A sug
ge~tlon of studious deta chment. say,
4. e. David. writing in the SeptembeI
Architectural Record 81 public librarie.
IA general and the New York Public Lii
hrary ia particular. Here patrona e.
has never been invited by any flavor
~ domesticity which IN Europe has al
ways been associated with such edifices
but It Is designed Tor the purpose Of i'm
posing itself upon the public and of an
nounCing from some Culonnaded portico
that t - a great educational institution
and that the public must for It's own good
come IN aud get educated.
The public libraries IN the sma Her
American cities. whose dimensions we're
not well adapted To monumental treat
ment.- continues the article. have sui
fer~d from being treated too much a.
educational institutions and not enough
merely a. the she'll u reading room
and book stack Bur IN the larger cite
whose Libraries are well equipped and
fully capable ~ becoming valuable aEen-
ciss for the. dissemination Of knowledge
snd ideas among "a large number of peo-
pie. the institutional idea has "A much
better chance IT effective architectural
expression
such was IA rticulaTly the case with
th. New York Public Library. No other
library M IN" country represented such
a cunhnat lon Of private and public Ell
dOwment
-Th. collection itself was the result
~ the generosity ~ three private donoT-
white the ~" for ia" new buildinA and
it, cost wer" supplied by the city and the
city had h'ssn even more generous than
Al,.~sr-. Aston. Lemon aud IIld-n N
had given site m the heart ui The citV
" hose marNtt value al the present time
must IL. b.tWp-u s. UsUtsEI and s. UsJ ,Hp.
aud u had erected GA this site an edifiC-
almost regardless IT ~Ap"u-" 40 putt
lIC library IN The world. unless II 10. thai
~ Boston. occupies such "a superb site.
and on no other library buiiding has
anything ike a. much money h.--u Law
Ish.i
1T - consequently. "A ysritabl- an
-tifItlpu fh. result both ~ IndiN dual
and - public aspiration and ~ IudiVIdu
and public sacrifice AMI one which
u hen completed will constitute = most
efficient piece Il machinery Tor converting
"A collection ~ bOoh- into means ~
popular inst ruotion.
In. building becomes The most inn
portant building ~ IT. kind "a the country
because u Will provide "a lifting habitatiOn
b" largest American city
The New YORK Pubic Library ~ not
Intended 10 D- "a great monumental build !
uR which would look almost az we'll
rom one point ~ view 49, another and
Nhich would he fundamentally an -N-
ampi. Of pure architectural form. IL -
designed rather 10 face on the avenue
- q city and not 10 seem ont 81 plac.
IN such a site II - essentially and frankly
IN instance" 81 street architecture. and a.
"a instance ~ street archit ectur~ ~ - dis
ingJIIsh'd IN - appearance" rather than I
IMPOSING
Not indeed that il 10 lacking in diRnity I
The facad" ON fifth avenue has poiss. .
- we'll a. distinction. character a. we'll |
~ gDnd manners but still u dos.- not f.
insist upon Ne own peculiar importance /
- every monumental building must do /.
II - content with someWhai humber I
ole. but one which - probably more I,
1t looks ingraiiatinR rather than i'm /
losing. and that - probably one reason +.
or it, popularity. II ~ intended for pop /
Ilar rather than for official use and the 4
building ISSUES To- the people an invitation ;
- enter rather than "a command