Evening star., 1922-06-25
Wonderful Structure
Houses About
Three Million VOL.
umes, Representing
More Than Eighty
Languages-I1as10 102
Miles of Shelving In
Use Whole Block
Was Razed to Make
Room for Building.
BY JAMES A. BUCHANAN.

the third largest The structure
faces the Capitol of the nation. An
entire block was razed to procure the
site. The building was started in
1889 and completed in 1897. The cost.
exclusive of the site, was more than
six million dollars. Italian renais-
sance is the style of architecture.
The building has three stories and
dome. The building proper covers
nearly three and one-half acres of
ground. batuR 47Ox34o feet. There
are four large inner courts. 150x75 to
100 feet. The two thousand windows
add in making it the best lighted Lii
brary in the world.
There is the great central rotunda,
which Is the reading room. From this
radiate the bookstacks and the
numerous galleries and pavilions.
White granite from New Hampshire
was used for the exterior walls. the
inner courts being constructed Of
Maryland granite and white enam-
eled bricks.
On the ground floor is the superin-
tendent's office. The first floor con-
tains the reading room. the librarians
room, the room devoted to the use OF
senators and representatives the map
room and the periodical reading room.
On the second floor are the pavilions
and galleries where one finds the ex-
hibits of engravingS and other collec-
tions, such as rare books portraits of
The Presidents and other distinguished
personages, first editions, etc.
X X X
THE dome. pronounced by critics
the most beautiful of its kind in
existence, is finished in black copper.
The panels being gilded with a thick
coating of gold leaf. While to the
average reader this gold-leaf roof
may seem to have been a bit of ex-
travagance. yet it really has proved
to be a most economic and satisfac-
tory roofing. The cresting of the.
dome above the lantern, which is 1S6
feet from the ground, terminates in
a gilded final. representing the
torch of science, ever burning.
There are thirty-three windows in
the corner pavilion and the west
facade. where one sees carved heads
representing races Of mankind. The
types employed are: Russian Slav,
blond European, brunette European,
modern Greek, Persian, Circassian.
Hindoo, Hungarian, Jew, Arab, Turk,
modern Egyptian. Abyssinian, Malay,
Polynesian, Australian, Negrito, Zulu,
Papuan, Sudan Negro, Aka, Fue-
gian, Botocudo, Pueblo Indian, Eski-
mo, Plains Indian. Samoyede, Korean,
Japanese, Ainu, Burmese, Tibetan and
Chinese.
lust below the stairway leading to
) the main entrance of the build
ing Is the celebrated bronze fountain,
Court of Neptune" strikingly beau
tiful and composed Of tritcns. sea
nymphs, frogs, seahorses, turtles and
serpents.
There are sixteen rounded pillars
with Corinthian capitals at the en-
trance pavilion. Four colossal at
lantes support the pediment, on which
are sculptured American eagles with
supporting figures of children. The
nine colossal portraits in granite rep
resent Emerson and Irving. Goethe,
Franklin. Macaulay. Hawthorne, Scott,
Damesthenes and Dante. Over the
entrance are sculptures typifying
Literature, Science and Art. The
bronze doors represent Printing,
which shows Minerva presiding over
the sdiffusion OF the products of the
typographical art" There is a legend.
Homage to Gutenberg" the inventor
OF printing.
writing. Here is shown a mother
instructing her child from the writ
ten record of the scroll. There is an
Egyptian scribe with his stylus,
Jewish patriarch, a Greek with his
Tyre and a Christian with his cross.
The bronze door. Tradition. typifies
woman reciting her story to a boy,
while her listeners are four repre-
sentative types of mankind-a Morse
warrior, with winged cap and battle
ak; a shepherd, with his crook; a
primitive man, with his stone ak,
and an American Indian, with his
arrows. The Indian figure Is a por-
|. trait of Chief Joseph of the Neg
Perces.
ENTERING the vestibule, one faces
Il the beautiful central stair hall.
lined with fine Italian marble and
polished to a high degree. On the
sides are rounded columns with carv-
ed capitals of Corinthian design. The
arches are adorned with marble
rosettes, palm leaves and foliated de-
signs. The height of this entrance
hall is sevekly-two feet.
There are twanty-s.x miniature
marble figures, representing in en-
blematic sculpture the various arts
and sciences. In the south stairway
railing the sculptures are: Mechanic
with cog-wheel. hunter with rabbit,
vintager with grapes and wine-glass.
farmer with sickle and sheaf OF
wheat, fisherman with rod and hsh.
soldier with helmet, chemist with
blowpipe and cook with steamingi
pot The buttress figures are OF
America and Africa. supporting
globe showing these continents. on
The balustrade above are Comedy.
Bsssedy and PoetR