Search results
Designed by Cass Gilbert, the Detroit Public Library was constructed with Vermont marble and serpentine Italian marble trim in an Italian Renaissance style. His son, Cass Gilbert Jr. was a partner with Francis Keally in the design of the library's additional wings added in 1963.
Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. [1][2][3][4] An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas, and West Virginia, the Detroit Public Library, the Saint Louis Art Museum and Public Library.
Architect: Cass Gilbert. In 1913, the city of Detroit held a competition for the design of its new public library. Gilbert's design was chosen by a jury of three for its restrained Beaux-Arts design and its plan which arranged three reading rooms around a large central book delivery room.
In 1910, Andrew Carnegie, who was a library philanthropist, donated money to the city of Detroit for their library system and it was with this money that Detroit decided to build a main library on a piece of property on Woodward Avenue, near Kirby Street.
Designed by Cass Gilbert, the Detroit Public Library was constructed with Vermont marble and serpentine Italian marble trim in an Italian Renaissance style. His son, Cass Gilbert Jr. was a partner with Francis Keally in the design of the library's additional wings added in 1963.
The Detroit Public Library began in a single room of the old state Capitol building in Capitol Park, opening March 25, 1865, as the Civil War wound down. Detroit had only about 45,000 people -- and many of them couldn’t read. But as Detroit blossomed into a metropolis, its library grew with it.
People also ask
Who designed the Detroit Public Library?
When was the first public library opened in Detroit?
What is the Detroit Public Library?
Why did Carnegie build a library in Detroit?
Who was the first African American director of the Detroit Public Library?
What services does the Detroit Public Library offer?
The main Detroit Public Library building was commissioned by Andrew Carnegie in 1912 as a gift to the city of Detroit. Designed by Cass Gilbert, the library served as a hub for education and cultural enrichment.
