A Beaux-Arts architect left nothing to chance, assiduously designing every aspect of a commission. Even the lamppost, such as the one above, received first class treatment, and was not purchased on-line from Home Depot. The flag pole, above and below, also has a wealth of ornamentation and symbolism. Griffins and other allegorical figures that probably…
Tag: Central Library
Main Portal, Central Library
The main portal, with archways inspired by the Barberini Palace, possesses important names from literature. The largest names: Goethe, Milton and Racine, represent the major languages of St. Louis, German, English and French. In the roundels below those three names, in between the arches, are Homer, Dante Alighieri, Virgil and William Shakespeare, representing the languages…
Central Library, Details
The details and craftsmanship of the Central Library shows in things such as the balustrade, or the bronze work, or the terrazzo vaulting.
Central Library
The Central Library, by Cass Gilbert, is a masterpiece of the Beaux-Arts style, a triumph of combining ancient influences from Greece and Rome, with the best of the Italian Renaissance. The main branch of the St. Louis Public Library system combines elements of the Tabularium, the ancient Roman records hall with the Barberini and Farnese…
Central Library Atrium Renovations
I went to check out the new atrium and renovations of the Central Library. Initially, I had thought the library was fine as it was, but once I saw how beautifully this palace of books had been restored, I changed my mind. The sunlit filled atrium, replacing the admittedly interesting closed stacks, opens the library…