The Newberry Library
[Newberry Library (1893) Henry Ives Cobb, architect /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
There was a time in this country's history when going to the library meant you were either a dues paying member, or had the wherewithal to build your own private library and invite guests to share in your scholarly largess. So back in the 1860s when Walter A. Newberry had made more money than he knew what to do with, he drew up a will that included a large bequest which would provide funding for Chicago's first free, public (as in the general public) library. There was a small catch however, the funds wouldn't become available until his wife died, and his adult daughters died "without issue."
[Walter A. Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton Street, Chicago /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
Walter died in 1868 not long after drafting his will, and by 1876 both of his unmarried and childless daughters were dead. Chicago was all a twitter after daughter Julia Rose's demise because everyone knew about Walter's library will-funding codicil. But the bereaved widow was still alive, and by this time the city had decided that they would open their own free, circulating, public library, so some of the thunder was taken out of Newberry's generous civic gesture. So since the city already had its free, public facility the Newberry trustees, who held sway over the estate, decided that the focus of their library would be research, particularly scholarly historical research, but nothing could, or would happen until Mrs. Newberry's demise.
[Newberry Library, Chicago /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
Which she did die in 1885, $2.5 million was released to the library trust fund. The first thing the two trustees did was to pick a site and open. After a few temporary locations around town, the Newberry duo finally settled on the square block where Mahlon D. Ogden's Chicago Fire-surviving-house sat, overlooking Washington Square Park. In 1888 they picked architect Henry Ives Cobb to design the structure and Cobb jumped into the project with both feet. He dissolved his business partnership with Charles Frost, and put all of his time and energy into the library commission. It kick-started an incredibly productive period in Cobb's career, which was a good thing since working with the two very opinionated trustees, and a headstrong head librarian, kept the continually re-worked library drawings on the boards for the next three years.
Finally in 1893 Cobb's substantial, Romanesque Revival building opened to researching scholars, and the institution has grown to include over 1.5 million books, an outstanding collection of illustrated manuscripts, maps dating back to the mid-17th century, and has become one of the top genealogical research libraries in the country. And although the building seems imposing and intimidating, the Newberry holds all kinds of events open to the general public, and you can gain access to the collection without having to be a credentialed, many degreed, university affiliated, professorial scholar.
See another heavily-stoned Cobb building at: Out with Society and Into the Limelight.
Posted by designslinger at 7/5/2011 4:41 AM 
Categories: Architecture, Architects, History
Tags: Henry Ives Cobb libraries Romanesque revival Near North side
Categories: Architecture, Architects, History
Tags: Henry Ives Cobb libraries Romanesque revival Near North side
Interestingly, the library exterior is unfinished on the east side as you can see in my pictures here https://picasaweb.google.com/adgorn/0NewberryArea?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMHlx4b6nYGiqwE&feat=directlink because less than half the originally planned building was erected.
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Thanks for the pic link!
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