Larimer Memorial Library is a historic

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

at 216 Reid Street in the city of Palatka, Putnam County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Has been utilized by the Arts Council of Greater Palatka since 1992, and renamed the Larimer Arts Center. On March 12, 2008, it was added to the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The library, commissioned by James Ross Mellon, a wealthy seasonal resident of the city, was constructed in 1929 at a cost of $100,000.

Henry John Klutho Henry John Klutho (1873 – 1964) was an American architect known for his work in the " Prairie School" style. He helped in the reconstruction of Jacksonville, Florida after the Great Fire of 1901—the largest-ever urban fire in the Southeast� ...

was selected to design the structure. Mellon named the library for his wife Rachel Hughey Larimer. The library would be dedicated and donated to the City of Palatka in April 1930 in an event attended by thousands. The presidents of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

Florida Southern College Florida Southern College (Florida Southern, Southern or FSC) is a private college in Lakeland, Florida. In 2019, the student population at FSC consisted of 3,073 students along with 130 full-time faculty members. It offers undergraduate, gradua ...

Stetson University Stetson University is a private university in DeLand, Florida, United States. Established in 1883 as DeLand Academy, it was later renamed John B. Stetson University in honor of John B. Stetson. The university's main campus in DeLand spans 175 ...

, and the

Florida State College for Women Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

each spoke at the ceremony. Of Klutho's surviving buildings, by 1983 the Larimer was one of only 3 listed as still being in “excellent condition”. The building's architectural style is a mix of the

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 i ...

and

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

. It is constructed of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

with a basement and one story above. The otherwise symmetrical façade of the building bears two phrases: “Ignorance breeds crime” on the left of the entrance and “Knowledge is power” to the right. Iron

filigree Filigree (also less commonly spelled ''filagree'', and formerly written ''filigrann'' or ''filigrene'') is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver, m ...

adorns the recessed

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

of the building's double door entranceway at the top of a flight of steps. Upon the library's completion, there were two reading rooms to either side of entrance. The library's bookshelves were on the first floor, across the backside of the building. These bookshelves housed 50,000 books, as well as other publications such as newspapers. Until 1992 when the library was converted into the Larimer Arts Center, the library had a children's room, a librarian's office, and a magazine room, as well as the main reading room. Today the Larimer Arts Center houses an art gallery and the Scarlett-Hill Theater.

References

External links

* Henry John Klutho buildings Library buildings completed in 1929 Libraries in Florida National Register of Historic Places in Putnam County, Florida Art museums and galleries in Florida Arts centers in Florida Tourist attractions in Palatka, Florida Prairie School architecture in Florida {{PutnamCountyFL-NRHP-stub