The Stinson Memorial Library is a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

located at 409 S. Main St. in

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. The library was designed by

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He is known for designing Canberra, Australia's capital city and the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and ...

in 1913 and constructed in 1913–14. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on June 9, 1978.

Architecture

Walter Burley Griffin studied under

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

, and while his early work was similar to Wright's

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in ...

designs, his later work exhibited an

Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

influence as well; the Stinson Memorial Library was one of the latter designs. The building's exterior consists of three main design elements: a tall

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

base, a concrete band of windows encircling the top of the base, and large concrete pillars on either side of the entrance. The limestone in the base is roughly cut and coursed to give the building a natural appearance. The windows in the upper band are made from leaded glass and feature concrete piers on each side. The sill and lintel of the windows continuously circle the building; the lintel is topped by the library's low

hip roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...

. The library's entrance leads to a vestibule with three flights of stairs, one heading to the upper-level library and two to the lower-level auditorium. The library was designed as a single open room with bookshelves delineating the different areas within the space. The room is accentuated by decorative light fixtures and stained glass patterns. The auditorium, which features a stage for performances, is lit by five windows on the rear side of the building.

History

In 1903, Anna businessman Robert Burns Stinson bequeathed his estate to the city to fund a public library. By 1913, the donation had grown large enough to fund the construction of a library, and Griffin was hired to design the building. While the lowest bid on the library initially came from a contractor in St. Louis, Griffin hired F. P. Mueller of Chicago to construct the building, as he was concerned that the original contractor could not carry out his design. Work on the building began in 1913 and was completed in 1914. The library was dedicated on August 14, 1914, shortly after Griffin relocated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

; it was one of the last buildings Griffin designed in America. The building has only undergone minor alterations since its construction and still serves as Anna's public library.

References

External links

Stinson Memorial Public Library District
{{authority control Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Prairie School architecture in Illinois Library buildings completed in 1914 Buildings and structures in Union County, Illinois Public libraries in Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Union County, Illinois 1914 establishments in Illinois