The Cleveland Public Library

by Dale Kincaid

Title

The Cleveland Public Library

Artist

Dale Kincaid

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The Cleveland Public Library holds one of the largest collections in the United States and is one of the finest public library systems in America today. CPL opened its doors on February 17, 1869. The Library’s first location was in a rented room of about 1,500 square feet on the third floor of the Northrop and Harrington Block in the city’s bustling West Superior Street commercial district, near the southwest corner of Public Square. Today, the permenent home of the library consists of two buildings on Superior Avenue (the main structure, 1925) and the Stokes Wing (1997). They command an entire city block east of Public Square between East 3rd and East 6th Streets.

The Main library, designed by the prominent architectural firm of Walker & Weeks, reflects a Beaux Arts, neoclassical design. Its interior was modeled in a Renaissance style, making ample use of Italian marble. Vaulted ceilings are adorned with paintings of mythological and historical figures, while grand staircases carved in Botticino marble and elaborately decorated passageways invite visitors to explore the library's various departments.

A second structure, named after former U.S. Congressman Louis Stokes, was built in 1997 on the former site of the Cleveland Plain Dealer which, since 1957 had been used by the library as an annex. Focused largely on science and technology, the Stokes Wing has 11 floors totaling 267,000 square feet and more than 30 miles of book shelves for a capacity of 1.3 million books. The two buildings are connected by an underground corridor below the outdoor Eastman Reading Garden.

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February 21st, 2024

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