The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-05-21
NFW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY THE
LARGEST...MOST COSTLY IN WORLD

buildings dPSlEuCi lOI us Sp'''". "'N'
in The world. will be dedicated to the
instruction and the convenience OF the
public on Wednesday of this week by
President Taft, Governor DIX, Mayor
Gavnor. and distinguished represeh
t,tion of the culture of the entire ma
tion.n holds shelf room for 3,oOO'ooo
volumes. IT has floor space OF 3'5,OOV
feet as against 326 OO0 feet in the con
eressional library at Washington, and
il has cost for erection merely more
than $40 600. a figure which when
a I details have been attended TO, mal
rise TO $l2.OO0,oO0 The land on which
its Stands fronting Two blocks on
Fifth avenue. between 10th and AND
streets, was last valued at $2OOOOooo
Three foundations, originating III
private bencfcanCe, merge in the pres
tnt public foundation-The Astor Ii
nrary. incorporated in 1919, the Lency
library. Incorporated in 1870, and the
Tilden trust, incorporated in 1857 The
city empowered by special at OF leg
isIamre. gave the land and betrayed
the cost of erection Carrere and Hast
ings were the architects, John Carrere
one OF the moving spirits in the Amer
lean renaissance of the present gen
Grafton. was run down by taXical
and died before he could sge his great
est work established as a part OF the
life OF the community.
At the time of consolidation, the AS
tor library owned its site and building
and had an endowment of $9il,OOO
with an annual income OF $4,000 and
267 900 volumes: the LenoX library
owned its site and buildings and had
an endowment of 100000, an income
OF $4,000 and Sc 600 volumes, and the
Tilden trust owned 10000 volumes and
had an endowment of $1,000, 900. The
New York public library, therefore
opens with total endowment Of So,
44G. 800 and $4,000 books on the
shelves. Within the next twenty-five
years ten times as many are expect
ed, 100000. The catalogue room
now has 100000 cards and can ris,
to 10000 900 without feeling cramled
Nine years ago next November the
cornerstone was laid by Mayor Setl
Low. Since then criticism has beer
abundant. not always we'll informed
and often conflicting. In great meas
ure the public has been hampered il
any true appreciation of the buildini
as a whole by the fraSmentary anC
ragged state of its approaches Sai'
John W Alexander. the painter: "Th'
pubic library reminds me of a beautl
lul woman who hasn't kept her finger
nails clean" All that has now bee!
done away with. The approaches have
been cleared and the building stand.
free to the public gaze as the archi
tects planned
Not the least interesting thing about
il is the land ON which it stands. Al
the opening OF the revolution. the site
was part OF the spacious country place
OF Robert 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
as Fulton street As it grew. the ada
cent country side took his name and
became Murray Hill, long a select resi-
Dental district, stll the home of j.
Pierpont Morgan. but now invaded ~
the advancing forces of business.
In 1920 the city contained 123,7C6
inhabitants and about 10000 houses.
There was no strictly residential quar-
ter, but the most promising develop
ment EMBODIED the field which has
since become Washington Square. at
the foot of Fifth avenue But there
was a drawback. Before the rich mer-
chants could be eN. ected to build
about the square, it was necessary to
find a new rotter's field. for the friend
less dead We're then buried in the
acres about to become pleasure
ground for the living Accordingly the
city bought the land now bounded to
north and south by ioth and i2nd
streets and to east and west by 9Th
and 9th avenues, for $Sil9. and made
potter's field of It. That was in
1923 and the same land was last val.
ued at $2O.OOO,OOO.
In 1887 it was decided to make the
field a reservoir for the newly plan
ned Croton system. not only because
the ground was high but because il
was then far out in the country
where the air was salubrious" and
there was little chance Of the water
becomin, contaminated" The site now
rests at the busiest corner in the city
and is already beginning to he counted
downtown. but the reservoir stood, |
long an anaChrOnism. until il was torn