Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-05-21

merely conglomcrato, The result
he says, is artistic and digninel'
The exterior is exclusively OF white
marble. Very little OF anything ols
has been used inside or out, although
colored maroles both native and for
eign, soft limestone and woody!
have been fraely employed as decora-
tive accessories The library stands
$50 feet long, on Fifth Avenue and
27O feet deept' Omitting the two IN
terror courtyards, carved out Of the
main block, for light and air, il COW
ers a. superficial area of $4,000
square feet and has q floor space of
375, 600 square feet. II took 100000
tons of white Vermont marble to
! tuild it not counting 10000 cubic
feet rejected because Of flaws. All
the marble was exposed to the ele-
ments for a year or NOR to test its
qua iities Of endurance. When the
builder took the contract he bought
the quarry outright, rooted 1t over
ard worked it night and day summer
and winter.
| The main entrance open from Fifth
| Avenue upon the rotunda, room
which, though impressive in its purity
OF outline and disnified simplicity,
ICsappoints some c-itics as lacking in
spaciousncss for the introductory to
/ 4 structure of such Iigh proportions.
! The architects on the contrary, felt
the room adequate in itself and ev-
erywhore bore in mind the needs of
living organism. They kept the
hallway ami corridors severe and
simple, They laid the floors is mar
BILE and till to withstand the tread
of generations. They decorated the
ceilings richly but they made no con-
tracts for mural paintings, a conspicl
uous contrast from The example Of
the Boston and the Congressional Ii
braries. In this instance It was felt
wiser to leave blank panels which
may be filled as the artistic conscious
ness Of the city, the commemorative
needs Of the day and the private mu-
InficcnCe OF the hour may suggest
As a mechanism, as a masterpiece
OF convenience the library Is believed
to be withopt equal in the world. II
mas facilities both ordinary and ex-
traordinary never before attempted.
There Is a rluding room for the blind,
There Is a charming little room for
children, with diminutive chairs and
low tables, quite in tie manner Of a
nursery, owe; which motherly su-
lperntondent Will have charge. There
are eight private rooms for the use
of scholars 1t was remembered, for
Instance, that Rear Admiral Mahan
wrote his monumental works on the
influences OF sea power almost entire
ly in the public rooms Of the Astor
Library.
But the crowning glory Of the edi-
ilce Is the great reading room, the
? .argest in the world. on the top
'loor at the rear surmounting the
, stack room. II Iuns 295 feet In
; ength, n feet in width and stands
+ fifty feet high, with ceilings painted
/ to simulate the cloud drited sky.
, Bisectlng It is a double rood-screen
50 feet wida and divided into arches,
, the purpose Of which is TO serve the
! delivery staff, TO each member OF
which one Of the arches Is apportion-
ed. Gustave Kobbe has described
: this screen IN part as olows:
Elegant In proportion, simple and
dlgnified in design, with beautiful car-
we'd Corinth'an columns and graceful.
, ly arched doors. It carries the behold
er back TO the old English abbeys
: The material Is quartered American
b oak" Woodwork plays conspicu.
b Gus part IN the color scheme Of tho
! whole building. /. blends with the
marbles and the mosalcs and reflects
p the tone Of the gorgeous ceilings
+ Nearly half million square feet OF
Circasslan walnut, French walnut