Still Standing

The original Carnegie Library, now the McNichols Building

Most big cities have demolished their original Carnegie libraries.  It’s disappointing but I don’t really hold it against them (well, maybe just a little bit).  Carnegie libraries were built a century, or more, ago when cities were small, children were seen and not heard, computers didn’t exist and air conditioning had just been invented (in Buffalo!).  Most cities rapidly outgrew their libraries and opted to construct new facilities that would better serve their patrons and be more efficient than attempting to remodel a relic.

Denver is on their third library incarnation and has managed not to demolish a brick or column of their original libraries.  The new library is actually an addition (see Postmodernists Have More Fun) to the 1956 library that replaced (at a different address) the 1910 Carnegie Library.  Amazingly, the Carnegie Library still stands proudly, albeit a little worse for wear,  as the McNichols Building in Civic Center Park.

To get a better picture of what happened over the last 100 years, I headed to The Civic Center Conservancy website for a little background.  In the late 1800s, ‘Civic Center’ was designed to be the cultural and civic center of Denver.  The 12 acre park is now the home to the Colorado State Capital, the original Carnegie Library, Greek Theater (an open air theater), Pioneer Monument, Voorhies Memorial, Denver City and County Building, The New Central Library, Denver Art Museum, Webb Municipal Building and a handful of historic statues and monuments.  The area is the heart of the city and the “crossroads of government, culture, commerce and community” The Conservancy was founded by private citizens in 2004 to restore and protect this architectural landscape.  

100 years ago, in 1909, the Carnegie Library was  the second building constructed at the the park, it was critical to the design and concept of Civic Center and became a reality thanks to a $200,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie.  When the new library eventually replaced it in 1956, on the other side of Civic Center, the Carnegie Library was left standing and office space was carved out of the space for the Water Board (the city probably wasn’t too excited about creating a gaping hole in the middle of their historic campus).  Emily Haggstrom retells this dismal period in the library’s history in her detailed article, A History of the McNichols Building.  Aftern being jerryrigged for awkward offices, this beautiful building actually sat abandoned and molding for decades until 2010 when it was finally restored to civic use for the ‘Denver Biennial of the Americas’. The Biennial is a month long celebration of art, culture and ideas from North, South and Central Americas. Since the event the building is slowly being renovated to create a permanent cultural center and event facility for Civic Center.

One more question from the East Coast girl...who was McNichols?  
That was an easy one to figure out.  Stephen L.R. McNichols was the 35th Governor of Colorado and served from 1957-1963.  McNichol’s roller coaster career included his support for reform at the State Hospital and Penitentiary, increased public works projects (including highway and water development plans) and the development of the Colorado State Archives.  
Honestly, I’m glad that it wasn’t Carnegie’s name on the abandoned, boarded up building during all those years of neglect.  That would have been a slap in the face to someone who offered so much light and hope to our country.  I’m equally relieved that The McNichols Building seems to be on the road to recovery and redefinition - it is a great example of respect and recycling for all our cities.

Good Neighbors

The Yearling by Donald Lipski

“A bad neighbor is a misfortune, as much as a good one is a great blessing.”  Hesiod had it right and Denver listened.  The Denver Public Library and The Denver Art Museum sit proudly beside one another welcoming locals and tourists to partake.  Both are great spots for a little reading, a little looking, a little learning, a little solitude, a little thinking and an ‘end-of-the-day-latte-wrap-up’, followed by a stroll through the gift shop - a perfect day.  This ideal arrangement goes even further by blurring the lines between the institutions with large sculptures in the surrounding public plaza.  Who can resist over-sized, outdoor sculptures?  Not me - there is something magical about art that is so accessible and indestructible.  Kids also love the sculptures - what’s could be better than a giant, colorful climber that your parents actually want to stop and stare at?  Here’s a little tour of the art and artists you’ll find outside the library:

The Yearling by  Donald Lipski
According to Lipski, this 21 ft. red steel chair with a statue of a horse was actually rejected by the Manhattan elementary school that commissioned it.  Lipski’s intent was to get the children thinking, but the school board wanted no part of that.  They couldn’t get their minds around the work and asked him to remove the horse on the seat.  He declined, saying, “It just lost all its magic.” The rejected red chair sat in Central Park for a year before arriving at the Denver Library in 1998.  The sculpture was donated to the city by an organization called “Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs”,  The Foundation of the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association.  Their mission is to inspire the next generation of manufacturers, inventors and entrepreneurs “one tinkerer at a time” and to attract young people to careers that require hands-on skills.  I can just imagine an ambitious kid attempting to weld a giant coffee table in their bedroom....

Lao Tzu by Mark di Suvero
Because two giant steel sculpture from N.Y. are better than one, the Denver Library has another large, bright orange, steel sculpture.  Actually Lao Tzu arrived on the scene first and was also purchased by the NBT, the library and additional donors for the plaza between the library and the museum.  Mark di Suvero created this work in his Long Island studio and it was also trucked across the country.  The sculpture is named Lao Tzu after the Chinese monk and philosopher from the 6th Century (I had a little trouble with the resemblance...) and it was painted orange to provide the greatest contrast against the bright blue Colorado sky.  Di Suvero is a renowed American sculpture who has won the Heinz Award for Arts and Humanities for his “sweeping contributions to America’s cultural landscape through a daring body of sculpture and an enduring commitment to broaden public venues for the visual arts."  

Public art is a gift to any city.  It’s existence humanizes urban landscapes and stimulates the imagination of it’s viewers.  Denver (along with many other cities) actually has a Public Art Program that mandates any project over $1 million set aside 1% for the creation and installation of public art.  This policy has led to 150 new works of art during the last 20 years.  Take a free guided tour of Denver’s public art or a self-guided ‘phonecast’ that includes maps and interviews with the artists - just make sure you get a designated driver first!

Postmodernists Have More Fun

O.K., I admit it, when I heard the name Michael Graves I thought of kettles at Target, not great architecture (blog as confessional). At least I did before I went to Denver.  When Denver Public Library pops up on the screen you know right away that this is not your father’s central library.  The library actually looks like many buildings clustered on a large city block.   Each building in the group has its own design, color and shape - like a giant was playing with those old fashioned wooden blocks and set up the ones he liked the most on the table.  Colorful sculptures in the front plaza welcome patrons into the library - the overall result is a whimsical, human and inviting space.  This new “Michael Graves” library is actually a 1990 addition to the existing library, designed by Fisher and Fisher in 1956.  

If you read my entries about the Seattle Public Library you could not mistake my admiration of the modern design.  The architects for Seattle were devoted to determining the specific functions of the library before they created the simple form around it.  The way the building looks is a reflection of its use.  There is an honesty and integrity in the design that makes the space appealing.

The Denver Library is a different kettle of fish.  The architect, Michael Graves, is famous as a co-founder of the School of Post-Modern design which, according to Wikipedia, reintroduces “wit, ornament and reference” to architecture.  Post-modern design is a response to the stark, geometric design of modern architects who believe in authentic use of materials and lack of ornamentation.  Postmodernism uses color, variety and historical references to have fun with design and they reject the strict rules of the modern aesthetic.  How can you not get a kick out of the Eisner Building, designed by Graves, that features the seven dwarfs in place of the caryatids on ancient Greek buildings.  MJ Sunderlind explains that postmodernists “celebrates kitsch (a German term for cheap, tacky artifacts) because it is a language that everyone can understand.”

Critics of post modern design call it tacky and vulgar (the design shares elements with shopping malls for heavens sake!) and despise the ‘gee-gaws’ that clutter their surfaces needlessly.  Critics of modern design have been know to name call as well, claiming that modern design is boring and souless.  Ouch.  The difference is crystal clear when you compare the two libraries and I’ll make a wild guess that Michael Graves and Joshua Prince-Ramus would not enjoy getting together to chat about architectural design over lunch.

I hate to be so wishy-washy, but I like them both, for different reasons.  First of all, Graves wasn’t exactly starting from scratch, he was adding on t0 an existing building and respected the integrity of the old space by connecting the two buildings with a 3-story atrium that now serves as a grand entrance and focal point for visitors.  Secondly, the the interior is warm and inviting and most of it is more traditional than I expected, Graves uses natural wood and warm colors to make the space cozy.  The Gates Reading Room, on the 5th floor, is certainly not traditional but it is beautiful (a post modern Library of Congress reading room?).  Anytime a space incorporates artwork, natural light, wood trim and books it’s a winner in my book.  

Most of all the Denver Public Library has an aura of FUN - it’s not the least bit stuffy, pretentious, serious or intimidating.  It is a space that draws people in regardless of who they are - isn’t that exactly the role a library wants to play in every community?  My guess is that John Cotton Dana would be pleased.