Barbara Madgy Cohn - The Detroit Public Library

2017 by Barbara Madgy Cohn and Patrice Rafail Merritt. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without formal permission. Manufactured in the United States of America

ISBN 978-0-8143-4232-9 (cloth)

ISBN 978-0-8143-4233-6 (ebook)

Library of Congress Cataloging Number: 2016952138

Painted Turtle is an imprint of Wayne State University Press

Wayne State University Press

Leonard N. Simons Building

4809 Woodward Avenue

Detroit, Michigan 48201-1309

Visit us online at wsupress.wayne.edu

To Andrew Carnegie, whose vision and benevolence provided the world with infinite access to knowledge through such wonderful edifices as the Detroit Public Library

Public buildings best serve the public by being beautiful.

CASS GILBERT

CONTENTS

Photograph courtesy of Timothy Griffin.

PREFACE

In preparing this book, we had two fundamental goals. The first was to showcase the design of the Main Library using pictures of the past as well as images of the library today as seen through the eyes of Detroits modern photographers. The second was to share with the world the beauty and elegance of a grand building in a great city that even through difficult times has sustained one of the most magnificent neo-classical buildings in the country. We had an intense desire to ensure that this overlooked treasure was revived and shared.

In 2013, we decided to create a docent-led art and architecture tour of the Main Library for the community to share and enjoy. This was the beginning of our journey. For over ten months, we researched the history of the building of the Main Library, interviewed individuals familiar with its legacy, searched archives, met with staff, and deeply studied the content of the librarys special collections. Our journey introduced us to artistic treasures; educated us on the tireless efforts of city fathers who had a vision of grandeur for a growing city; and allowed us to welcome a generation of Detroiters back to their Detroit Public Library and invite them to experience the glory of a beautiful building embraced and respected by all who had entered its glorious halls. We organized test groups for an initial walking tour and viol! On Saturday, December 7, 2013, the Discover the Wonders of the Detroit Public Library: An Art and Architectural Tour was launched.

The response to the tour program far exceeded our expectations. What began as a once-a-month free public tour has grown into a program of private tours for a wide array of regional and national organizations and visitors. However, we remain true to our original mission and continue to offer docent-led tours to the public on a monthly basis.

This book is a direct outcome of the successful tour program. At the conclusion of each tour, docents were repeatedly asked, Do you have a book for sale? The response was simply, Not yet. And thus our second journey began. The photography within this volume captures not only the elegance of the building but also the original vision of Cass Gilbert and the many artisans, local, national, and international, who made his vision a reality. Additionally, we offer this book to honor and recognize the many civic-minded individuals who, throughout the librarys history, continued to add gifts of art to the community and its beautiful library building. The Detroit Public Library: An American Classic is a tribute to the enduring symbol of the public library, the most democratic of institutions in America.

Barbara Madgy Cohn and Patrice Rafail Merritt

Detroit, Michigan

Photograph courtesy of Kenneth Gabriel.

TIMELINE