Civic Pride in a Lost America: Library Postcards
The Carnegie Library of Rochelle, Illinois
Flagg Twp. Library
This is one of the Seven Sisters libraries built by architects Claude & Starck. Much funding came from a 1911 Carnegie grant.
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It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973: since its 1988 addition was so skillfully executed, it still merits that designation.
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Raymond Bial's photography did a much better job capturing the details beneath the eaves than did the (L) card. So, of course, purchasing another card (R) became necessary.
On its reverse:
The Flagg Township Library of Rochelle, Illinois, a Carnegie Library, was built in 1912. The building was designed by Louis Sullivan of the firm of Claude and Stark and was placed on the National Registry of Historical Places in 1973. The library houses over 26,000 volumes and is open 56 hours a week.
--House of Photography, 628 N. Lincoln Hiway, Rochelle, IL 61068
(L) William G. Hoffman card, possibly printed by Curt Teich during the white border era.
(R) This linen finish card was produced by MWM (Mid-West Map Company) of Aurora, MO. Notice that they removed the building in the left background (it's still standing) and added a flagpole. The roofline also looks steeper. However, they made pretty good maps.
The frieze was likely a product of American Terra Cotta and Ceramic Co. of Chicago and Terra Cotta, IL (near Crystal Lake; defunct). It was used to remold extra sections for the library addition.
The photos were taken by me in May, 2016.
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This was the original entrance before expansion. There are such delightful touches, beginning with the frieze (also seen on the Merrill and Evansville libraries, as well as the superceded Clintonville, Wisconsin libraries). Irises and planters are also Arts & Crafts signatures.
Many Carnegie buildings had welcoming hearths, another Arts & Crafts movement trope. This area of the Library contains new books and displays.
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I'm not certain that the mural adds much to the decor. If, at one point, this section served the children's department, it would be more understandable.
