Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-05-21
largest Library
TO BE Dedicated
HAS SHELF ROOM ALONE FOR
35OO,OO0 VOLUMES.
COST OVER TEN million
II Is OF Solid Masonry and Built to
Endure for Eternity-Some Facts
About Building.
By Associated Press.

New / tIht MAY -Ns-- 1 llt ANtN I bAh |
Public Library, the largest and most
costly and one Of the most beautiful |
s. buildings designed for It's specific |
uses in the world, win be dedicated |
to The instruction and the conyen- |
icnce of the public on Wednesday of
this week by President Taft Cover !
nor Dix, Ma. or Gaynor and n distin- |
Fuished rcpr sentatou Of the culture
f Of the entire nation. 1t holds shelf
room Tor 100000 Volumes 1t has
floor space Of 275,O0O feet, as against
826. coo feet I'm tho Congressional Lii !
hrary at Washington, ana 1t has cost
for erection merely more than $40,
600, 600, figure which, when all de-
tails have been attended to, may ria
TO $4,000 OrO. The land on which
II stauds-frcntlng two blocks on
Fifth avenue between 40th and 42nd
street, was 'ast valued at $2o0OO,OO0,
Three foullauous originating nI
lrivatc bcncliccncc, merge In the
- present public foundatiou-The Astor
library, Incorporated IN 1Si0; the
LcnoN library incorporated in 1870;
ana the Nlden Trust, incorporated mI
1857. The Hty, empowered by spc-
cial act Of legislature, gave the land
and dorrayed the cost Of erection
'Carrere and Hastings were the archi-
'tects John carrcre ono Of the NOV
ing spirits m the American renais-
Eance of the present generation, was
run down by a taHlcob and died be-
. fore he could see his greatest work
Icstahishcd as part of the life OF
the commun ty.
- At the time Of conaolidation, the
Astor Library owned Is site and
g~huildng and had an endowment of
$9l10O0, with an annual Income Of
$4,000 and 2G7OO0 Volumes the
-Lcnox library owned its site and
buildings and had an endowment Of
-.rS5O5O0O, an income OF 10000 vol
umes and had an endowment of S2,-
600 900. The New York Public Ii
brary therefore opens with total en-
dowment Of S3,44G,5OO and $4,000
books on the shelves. Within the
next twenty-five years ten times as
'many are expected 100000. The
catalogue room now has 100000
.lcards and can rise to 10,0O0,0O0
without feeling cnmped.
Nine yalrs ago mex. November the
cornerstone was laid by Mayor Seth
Low. Since thcn criticism has been
abundant not always well informed
ana often conflicting In great meas
ure the pubs has been hampered IN
any true aT probation Of the buil
ing as whole by the fragmentary
ana ragged state Of its approaches.
Ia. .gl lnt t.,
"Thc public library reminds me Of
beautiful woman who hasn't kept her
finger nails lean. All that has been
done away with. The approaches
have been cleared and the buildinf
stands FREQ to the public gaze as u
architects piarned.
Not the least interesting thing about
the opening Of the revolution, the
elt was fart of the spacious country
place Of Roncrt Murray a quaker
merchant Of the busy city that then
lay three miles south Of him. AT that
time the town had only reached as
far north a. Fulton street As it
grew, the adjacent countryside took
mis- name and became Murray ilill
long q select residential district, still
the home Of j. Picrpont Morgan, but
now invaded 10y the advancing forces
Of business,
In 1882 toe city contained 123,706
Inhabitants and about 10000 houses.
There was no strictly residential
! quarter but the most promising de
vclopmcnt entolded the field whi
has since became Washington Square,
ut the foot OF Firth Avenue But
there was drawba X. Before the
rich merchants could be expected
build about the square II was neces-
bary to find new potter's field, for
the fricndless dead were then buricf
IN the acres about to became a pleas
= ure ground for the living. Accord
lngly the city bought the land nov
bounded on .rorth and south by AOth
ana 42nd streets and to east and west
by 5th and 9th avenues, for SS,iA9,
and made potter's field Of It. That
was In 1928 and the same land was
at valued at S2O,0O0,000.
In 1887 II was decided to maye the
Held reservoir for the newly plan
ned Croton rystcm, not only because
the ground was high, but because II
where the air was salubrous' and
there was "httle chance Of the water
becoming contaminated" The site
how rests at the busiest corner in the
city and IL lready teginning TO be
counted doNctown but the reservoir
stood long an onachronism, until Il
was torn down TO make way for The
new library
The Dimensions Of the building are
imposing In themselves, but much a'
mas hcon written about It there Is SIN
pularly little autl oritatve critca
comment or It's architectural merits
or defects IN exterior dignity gen
1 oral opinion holds II nobly adequate
For interior sraclousncss ana unity
I II ls felt, pc'haps 10 fall below Tho
Boston Public Library as pure mon
D umcnt OF beauty hut TO exceed any
! other building OF It's nature In the