The Curtis Memorial Library, now the Augusta Curtis Cultural Center, is a historic former library building at 175 East Main Street in
Meriden, Connecticut
Meriden ( ) is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planni ...
. It was designed by
New Haven
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...
architect
Richard Williams in the
Classical Revival
Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...
style, and was completed in 1903. The building was a gift to the city from Augusta Munson Curtis in honor of her husband George, who was one of the city's leading businessmen and onetime mayor.
It was listed on the
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 ...
in 1981.
Description and history
The Curtis Cultural Center is located in the historic civic center of Meriden, set on a knoll at the southeast corner of East Main and Pleasant Streets. It is a two-story masonry structure, built out of white Vermont marble. It presents as a single-story structure, with the second floor only evident due to a high parapet above the main cornice. A copper dome is placed at the center of the cruciform structure. The front projection houses the main entrance, which is deeply recessed in an opening that has flanking pilasters and two fluted Ionic columns set ''
in antis
An anta (pl. antæ, antae, or antas; Latin, possibly from ''ante'', "before" or "in front of"), or sometimes parastas (pl. parastades), is a term in classical architecture describing the posts or pillars on either side of a doorway or entrance of ...
''. The interior retains many original features, including mosaic tile flooring, a red marble fireplace, and Corinthian columns supporting the dome.
[
Meriden's first library was established in 1898 by the Thursday Morning Club, an association of local women, and was kept in a private home. In 1900 August Munson Curtis offered to buy land and fund construction of a dedicated building. This building was completed in 1903, and was dedicated in honor of Curtis' daughter Agnes and husband George; he was a prominent industrial executive and also served as mayor of the city.][ The building remained in use as a library until 1974, when new facility was opened on Miller Street. This building was then repurposed by the city as an arts and cultural center, named in honor of its benefactor.]
Gallery
File:Curtis Memorial Library 1901.jpg, The library in 1901
File:CurtisMeriden1.JPG, The facade of the building
See also
*
References
External links
Official web site
{{authority control
Library buildings completed in 1903
Buildings and structures in Meriden, Connecticut
Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Public libraries in Connecticut
Libraries in New Haven County, Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in New Haven County, Connecticut