Library glass

The Springfield Library [website] has a meeting room with some very lovely windows!

Inside the Morristown Library

In case you were wondering what the inside of the Morristown Library looked like, this is it.

It’s not the old Collegiate Gothic portion, though; that part of the library is still closed off to the public, after the basement exploded last year.

And juuuust for fun…

…that’s what the inside of the library looked like, around 1915.

 

Reference:

Williams, J.M. (1996). Images of America: Morristown. Arcadia Publishing: Dover, NH. ISBN 0752402072.

Mountainside Library

This building for the Mountainside Library was built from 1966-1968, but Mountainside has had a library in some iteration or another since 1934 (originally in Borough Hall, and later in several rooms within the ‘Echobrook Building,’ of which I know nothing).

The library’s collection has grown from barely a bookcase full in 1934, to 8,000 in 1940, to 24,000 in 1970, to over 50,000 in 2011.

…Well, actually, instead of reading my blather, you could just check out the PDF I’ll link to below (and here). It’s well-written, and thorough, and it mentions chow mein parties (p. 20).

 

Reference:
Entering Mountainside: 1895-1970. (1970?). “Book Power.” 20-22. http://www.mountainsidelibrary.org/history.html. [Brochure].

Fun times with the Morristown library!

When I first saw the Morristown library, I stopped dead in front of it, because it reminded me so much of some building at my college.

(Turned out, I was wrong, but just so you know where I was coming from, here’s the Morristown library…

 

…and here’s the main gate at my alma mater, blatantly yanked from Wikipedia.)

 

Turns out, the 1917 library is in fact “collegiate Gothic,” so it probably looks like some building at EVERY college. (To be really specific, according to an architect-type I know, it is “English Perpendicular Gothic style… a common derivative of Collegiate Gothic [personal correspondence, 2011].”) It was designed by Edward Lippincott Tilton {Wikipedia], who had a hand in designing Ellis Island. Additions have been subsequently added in 1933, 1987, and 2006.

But enough about the architecture. The library exploded last year!

On Monday, May 3, 2010, just minutes before the library was supposed to open at 9a.m., a bomb-like explosion ripped through the Morristown library’s basement.

Here’s a run-down of some of the damage, just so you don’t think I’m exaggerating (as I sometimes do):

An 8-inch-thick concrete first floor slab heaved upward and cleaved; walls buckled; furniture was blown apart; interior and exterior doors were blown off hinges; windows were shattered; books and materials were mangled and strewn about and a water pipe burst (Lockwood, 2010b, para. 4).

Incredibly, nobody was injured in the massive blast. To keep it that way, the library, which was deemed “unsafe for human occupation (Lockwood, 2010b, para. 8),” was completely closed to the public for eight months. The old 1918 section received the worst of the damage, and as of this writing, it remains closed off.

What makes things even more interesting—the exact cause of the explosion remains murky. Not quite a month after the explosion, a Jersey Central Power and Light representative said that the explosion was caused by “a combustible gas (Paik, 2010, para. 1)”; eight months later, “the state’s Board of Public Utilities [was] still investigating what caused the explosion (Goldberg, 2011, para. 9).”

And—the intrigue continues—underground explosions have plagued downtown Morristown at least eight times over the past 20 years. That averages out to almost biannually, but three of them happened less than a year apart. How often does your town explode?

 

Reference:

Goldberg, D. (2011). “Morristown library reopens 8 months after explosion.” NJ.com. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/01/morristown_morris_township_lib.html.

Lockwood, J. (2010a). “Morristown library is damaged by underground explosions.” NJ.com. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/morristown_library_sustain_dam.html.

Lockwood, J. (2010b). “Morristown library explosion damage is worse than expected, may force months-long closure.” NJ.com. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/morristown_library_explosion_d.html.

The Morristown and Morris Township Library. (n.d.). “About Us.” http://www.jfpl.org/Aboutus.cfm.

New Jersey Historic Trust. (2010). “Morristown Library.” http://www.nj.gov/dca/njht/funded/sitedetails/morristownlibrary.html.

Paik, E. (2010). “Morristown underground blast was caused by combustible gas, JCP&L says.” NJ.com. http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2010/05/morristown_underground_blast_w.html.

Williams, J.M. (1996). Images of America: Morristown. Arcadia Publishing: Dover, NH. ISBN 0752402072.

Switching things out

The New Providence Library has a rotating display of art. I was lucky enough to be present when they were changing out one of the displays.

Currently, paintings from the Murray Hill Chinese School are on exhibition. They’re pretty!

Inside the Summit Library

This is what the inside of the Summit Free Public Library looks like.

They have a much better selection of graphic novels than the New Providence Library, but their local history section is, in my opinion, not up to par. (Yeah, sorry, did we not know I was a giant nerd? We do now.)

Also, you have to pay to park there. %&^!.

But: Better selection of graphic novels.

It’s a tradeoff.

Klezmer!

There was a klezmer concert in the New Providence library this past weekend, performed by the Hester Street Troupe [website].

Klezmer music [Wikipedia] is a style of Jewish folk music characterized by emotive and/or wailing melodies. (That description doesn’t do the style justice, though; don’t think it sounds like mating whales or banshees or something.)

It was pretty awesome. Oh my gosh, I’m so glad I went.

Audience members were encouraged to participate.

(Also note the demographic. I wonder why younger folks apparently aren’t attracted to this sort of thing?)

All in all, if you find that the Hester Street Troupe (or any other klezmer band) is performing in your area, I encourage you to go check them out!

Chatham Library: Then and Now

Just for the sake of a “then and now” photo— above, inside the Chatham Library in 2011…

…and here, inside the Chatham Library in… well, actually, I don’t know the date exactly, but I’m guessing from the boys’ crew cuts that it’s around the 1950s. Definitely after the library opened in 1924.

Can you find the fireplace and round-ish ceiling line in both shots?

Clearly, they’ve put on an addition since the older photo, but I don’t have the exact date of that, either.

 

References:
Cunningham, J.T. (1997). Images of America: Chatham. Arcadia Publishing: Dover, NH. ISBN 0738545619.

Library hunting

The Maplewood Library (main branch) [website] was constructed around 1955.

Now, the library association was founded in 1913. Aside from that, I’m a little confused as to the chronology of buildings the library has occupied.

According to the Images of America book (p. 84), the public library occupied a room in the Maplewood Middle School before its transition to the Memorial Library building, true as of 1943.

Also according to the Images of America book (p. 82), the public library occupied the old town hall, which it couldn’t have done between 1913 and 1932 because the town hall was busy using the building.

Maybe the book is talking about the other Maplewood library…? Yeah, by the way, despite its small size and population, Maplewood has two libraries.

Bottom line: I don’t know. But nowadays, it’s right next to the town hall, and (like a lot of the smaller libraries around here) it’s closed on weekends in the summer.

* Maplewood Library hours are, as of July 2011:

M: 10am-9pm
T: 10am-6pm
W: 10am-9pm
Th: 10am-9pm
F: 10am-5pm
Sat: 10am-5pm (CLOSED July & August)
Sun: CLOSED

 

Reference:

Durand-Hedden House and Garden Association. (1998). Images of America: Maplewood. Arcadia Publishing: Charleston, SC. ISBN 0752412795.

Fanwood Library

The Fanwood Memorial Library [website] is the third library building to serve Fanwood.

The first one was built in 1897 to serve the post office; it was shared with the library from 1903 to 1928. (The building is still standing! Look, here are some photos.)

The second one, used from c.1928-1951* [see note below], was a modest storefront operation a couple blocks away.

(If you look closely, you can actually try to read the label on the window:)

The third and final one has been used from 1951 onwards.

Here’s a note about the architectural choices made:

The architecture of our new England Colonial forebears is mainly distinctive for its simplicity. It was based principally on economic necessity. Construction was simple and materials, which would stand the test of time, were for the most part easily obtainable. Buildings were devoid of modeling, or ornamentation, but their fine outlines and good composition have had an enduring quality of distinction.

A library building for a residential community such as Fanwood should follow this form. A building of Colonial residential character answers our requirements and is consistent with the heritage of our community. The use of hand split red cedar shingles, (called shakes in earlier times) and reclaimed brick for the exterior side walls exemplifies this patter and creates the atmosphere of softness and durable character sought in this type of structure. The interior materials and décor add to this atmosphere and give the desired tone of reflective and enduring calm (Fanwood Memorial Library, 1951, p. 1).

An addition was added in 1980.

 

* I’m actually not sure about the dates of use for the second library; I’ve got some conflicting information from various sources. It seems like the original building may have stopped being used in 1928, been renovated, started use again in 1930, and shifted into that storefront building sometime between 1930 and 1940.

 

** If you’re looking for good vintage photos and historical information about Fanwood and Scotch Plains, NJ, the history society has a boatload of photos that are digitized and online.

 

*** Fanwood Memorial Library hours are, as of July 2011:

M: 10am-9pm (children’s dept. closes 7:30pm)
T: 10am-9pm (children’s dept. closes 7:30pm)
W: 10am-5pm
Th: 10am-9pm (children’s dept. closes 7:30pm)
F: 10am-9pm
Sat: 10am-5pm (CLOSED July & August)
Sun: CLOSED

Check the library website for changes.

 

Reference:

Bousquet, R. and Bousquet, S. (1995). Images of America: Scotch Plains and Fanwood. Arcadia Publishing: Dover, NH. ISBN 0738563188.

Fanwood Memorial Library. (1951). “Dedication Ceremony and Observance of Fiftieth Anniversary (March 11, 1952).” Retrieved from The Joint Digital Archives of Fanwood and Scotch Plains. http://www.thejointlibrary.org/archives/ [pamphlet]

The Joint Digital Archives of Fanwood & Scotch Plains, New Jersey. (dates various). “Libraries: Fanwood Memorial Library.” http://www.thejointlibrary.org/archives/ephemera/ .