An 1897 issue of Harper’s Weekly described the new Chicago Public Library Reading Room as follows: The reading room is the most imposing feature of the interior. It occupies the entire northern front of the building, and is lighted on all sides by windows seven feet wide and twenty-three feet high. The dimensions of the room are one hundred and forty feet by fifty-five, and thirty-three feet high. The immense ceiling is carried upon heavy steel trusses. There are seats for three hundred and forty readers, and room at the newspaper stands for seventy-five more. The color scheme is sumptuous. The wainscot is of verd-antique, the walls are dark red, and the three members of the entablature – the architrave, frieze and cornice – are treated in color so as to form intermediate steps of yellow, green, and blue between the walls and the ceiling. The higher parts of the relief ornament upon the pilasters, cornice, and coffers are emphasized with metal –gold of an antique finish against a background of transparent colors.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 02:46:23 +0000
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