The Lexington Public Library opened in 1905 in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. It incorporated the collection of the former Lexington Library Company (est.1801) and the former Transylvania Library (est.1795). Today the main location of the Lexington Public Library system is Central Library along East Main Street connected to Park Plaza Apartments. The Library's facade includes rose-colored granite, with large windows facing the street and Phoenix Park. A rotunda in the lobby, the focal point of the building, spans all five floors and houses the world's largest ceiling clock and

Foucault pendulum The Foucault pendulum or Foucault's pendulum is a simple device named after French physicist Léon Foucault, conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the Earth's rotation. A long and heavy pendulum suspended from the high roof above a circular a ...

, designed by Lexington sculptor

Adalin Wichman Adalin Wichman (1922 – March 10, 2013) was an American sculptor and artist from the U.S. state of Kentucky. Wichman designed the Eclipse Award Trophy in 1971, which are awarded to horses and individuals who have made outstanding contributions t ...

."Lexington artist Adalin Wichman, known for her work and wit, dies at 91." 12 March 2013. Herald-Leader exington 5 April 2013. The rotunda also includes a

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

depicting the history of the horse in the Bluegrass. Included within the complex is the 138-seat Farish Theater, meeting rooms and an atrium reading lounge. An art gallery is located on the ground floor. One of the areas for researchers is the Central Library's Kentucky Room, which houses Kentucky census records and numerous other genealogy and local history resources. It also contains microfilm of the

Lexington Herald-Leader The ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' is a newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and based in Lexington, Kentucky. According to the ''1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook'', the paid circulation of the ''Herald-Leader'' is the second large ...

, as well as its forerunners, the Lexington Herald and the Lexington Leader, along with other local newspapers. Central Library is complemented by five branch locations. The Northside Branch, located on Russell Cave Rd., replaced the previous Northside location in 2008. The Tates Creek Branch, located on Walden Drive just off Tates Creek Rd., replaced the Lansdowne Branch in 2001. The Eastside Branch, located on Blake James Dr. at Man o' War Blvd. and Palumbo Dr., replaced the Eagle Creek Branch in 2016. The Beaumont Branch, located on Fieldstone Way just off Harrodsburg Rd., replaced the Southside Branch in 1997. The Village Branch, located on Versailles Rd. at Village Dr., opened in 2004. It boasts the distinction of being an English-Spanish bilingual branch, with bilingual staff.

History

The original library, opened in 1905, was a Carnegie Library and its building survives today: it is used by the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. Ground was broken for the new library on June 3, 1987. Then-Mayor Scotty Baesler noted that the new library project was the "most significant building in downtown." During the preliminary renderings of the structure, it was compared to a "warehouse" and a "jail" due to its unappealing facade;Honeycutt, Valarie. "Planned exterior of library questioned." 26 June 1986. Herald-Leader exington 10 November 2006. this was soon corrected when a granite facade was installed. Construction began on the new library during the rising of Park Plaza. The cost of the . facility was $10 million. Enough space was reserved during the planning stages of the library that it withstand expansion for 20 to 30 years. The unfilled space was leased to the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

References

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* {{authority control 1905 establishments in Kentucky Buildings and structures in Lexington, Kentucky Education in Lexington, Kentucky Libraries established in 1905 Public libraries in Kentucky

History

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Further reading

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