The Oregon Public Library is located in Oregon, Illinois, United States, the county seat of Ogle County. The building is a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending 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 servic ...

that was constructed in 1909. Prior to 1909, Oregon's library was housed in different buildings, none of which were designed to house a library. The library was built using a grant from wealthy philanthropist

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

. The grant was obtained after Oregon's citizens voted to change Oregon's library from a city library to a township library. The building was completed by 1908 but the library did not begin operation until 1909. The Oregon Library was designed by Chicago architects

Pond and Pond Pond and Pond was an American architecture firm established by the Chicago architects Irving Kane Pond and Allen Bartlitt Pond. Overview Working in the Arts and Crafts idiom, the brothers gained renown for elaborately detailed brickwork and irr ...

. The Ponds were members of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony, founded by

Lorado Taft Lorado Zadok Taft (April 29, 1860 – October 30, 1936) was an American sculptor, writer and educator. Part of the American Renaissance movement, his monumental pieces include, ''Fountain of Time'', ''Spirit of the Great Lakes'', and ''The ...

, and their association with Taft and the colony led them to design the library. Their design was influenced by the colony, and a combination of two architectural styles,

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 ...

and the

Arts and Crafts movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

. The completed library included a second floor

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

to which members of Eagle's Nest donated works for a permanent collection. The gallery's collection includes 64 paintings and sculptures as well as a

Currier and Ives Currier and Ives was a New York City-based printmaking business operating from 1835 to 1907. Founded by Nathaniel Currier, the company designed and sold inexpensive hand-painted Lithography, lithographic works based on news events, views of popu ...

lithograph collection appraised at

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

700,000. The Oregon Public Library was listed on the U.S.

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 2003, three years later it was included as a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

in a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

that received the National Register designation.

History

While the library building dates to the early 20th century the move toward intellectual outreach in Oregon started years before. The first Oregon

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 ...

was organized in 1872, though it had no building of its own. Before the library had its own building, library books were stored in a drug store and then in the County Treasurer's office. Eventually the Oregon Library occupied rented office space in the First National Bank building. This situation persisted until 1905 when Oregon voters voiced their collective opinion on the library's future.Behrens, p. 14. The citizens of Oregon were faced with a dilemma in 1905: either allow Oregon's library to remain, truly, Oregon's city library, or, by

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

, allow Oregon's library to make the shift into a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

library. This change would allow the library one distinct advantage; it would qualify the library for a grant from

for the construction of a new building. Initially, Carnegie promised

7,000 for the new library but once voters approved the change the grant amount was increased to $10,000. The grant, aside from requiring the library to hold "township library" status, required a site to be selected prior to the grant application process; a site, at the corner of Oregon's Jefferson and Third Streets, was selected.

Art gallery

Eagle's Nest influence

Even before the library was built, members of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony were pushing for the new building to include a second-story

. The colony, founded in 1898 by sculptor

, was based on the bluffs flanking the east bank of the Rock River, overlooking Oregon.Lorado Taft Campus
, Regional History Center, ''Northern Illinois University Libraries''. Retrieved March 4, 2007. Later in Carnegie's philanthropy his secretary James Bertram laid out strict requirements, including requirements which discouraged multiple uses for Carnegie libraries. Another requirement stipulated that Bertram approve library plans prior to grant approval or construction.Schnell, p. 13. The Oregon library, however, was constructed before Bertram's requirements were published and includes the gallery. The art colony at Eagle's Nest was populated by Chicago artists, all members of the Chicago Art Institute or the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

art department, who gathered in Ogle County to escape the summer heat of Chicago.Schnell, pp. 52-53. Two of the charter members of the art colony were the Chicago architects, Allen and

Irving Kane Pond Irving Kane Pond (May 1, 1857 – September 29, 1939) was an Americans, American architect, college athlete, and author. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Pond attended the University of Michigan and received a degree in civil engineering in 1879. ...

, who designed the Oregon Public Library building. It was the Ponds' association with the Eagle's Nest Art Colony that led them to design the library. The building was constructed after the Carnegie grant approval, and its first use came in October 1908 by Leon A. Malkielski, a colony member, for an exhibition of 100 paintings. The library proper did not begin providing its services until 1909. The colony tried to contribute to area culture by requiring its members to hold art shows, lectures, and other exhibitions throughout the early 20th century. With the library complete it began to play a role in those exhibitions. Hamlin Garland, a 1921

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

recipient for literature, spoke at the Oregon library while he was a member of the Eagle's Nest Colony.

Collections

The gallery on the second floor of the library building was not formally dedicated until July 4, 1918. That date marked the beginning of the library's permanent collection, which started with additions from members of the Eagle's Nest Colony. Members donated twelve statues, twenty oil paintings, and four portraits to the permanent collection of the art gallery. One of the statues in the collection is a 4-foot (1.2-m) plaster study of ''The Eternal Indian'' by Lorado Taft. It was completed in 1908 as he prepared to create the Black Hawk Statue at the original site of the Eagle's Nest Colony. The entire permanent collection consists of 32 paintings and 32 sculptures from Eagle's Nest artists. A citizen left the library a

lithograph collection which contains 46 Currier and Ives

lithographs Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

and 14 lithographs by

Nathaniel Currier Nathaniel Currier (March 27, 1813 – November 20, 1888) was an American lithography, lithographer. He headed the company Currier and Ives, Currier & Ives with James Ives. Early life and education Currier was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, to ...

. The two collections have been appraised at over $700,000.Behrens, p. 15. In addition to the substantial historical art collection held by the library gallery the collection consists of works by local artists. One Oregon resident has donated artwork from the annual Grand Detour Art Show regularly. Other area residents have donated pieces as well. In all, the library holds about 30 contemporary works by local artists.

Architecture

Ogle County Oregon IL Oregon Public Library4

The library is designed with an eye toward late 19th-century and early 20th-century movements in architecture. While it contains many elements common to Classical Revival architecture, the building's asymmetry and playfully creative style are distinctly characteristic of the

Arts and Crafts Movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

. The building was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Pond and Pond and is constructed of buff-colored brick. Red-brick belt coursing and accents contrast the buff-colored brick on the majority of the facade. The two-story Oregon Public Library has a full brick basement and approximately of floor space. The building, though based on

Classical architecture Classical architecture typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from ''De archit ...

, is not entirely a Classical building. Its rooflines, main entrance, and the placement and style of the windows are all

asymmetrical Asymmetry is the absence of, or a violation of, symmetry (the property of an object being invariant to a transformation, such as reflection). Symmetry is an important property of both physical and abstract systems and it may be displayed in pre ...

in nature, a hallmark of the Arts and Crafts style. Its simple massing and noticeable lack of ornamentation throughout the structure connects the building closely to the Arts and Crafts movement. This influence is seen most prominently on the building's interior.Behrens, p. 7. Ogle County Oregon IL Oregon Public Library5

Ogle County Oregon IL Oregon Public Library5

Though Arts and Crafts is specifically regarded as a movement within architecture, as opposed to a full-blown style, there are elements that are considered typical to buildings designed in the style. Examples include, dark, heavy woodwork and very simple ornamentation. The Oregon Public Library contains functional elements associated with that movement. Dark woodwork is found throughout the building, first in the stairwell to the gallery and its

baluster A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

s and

newel A newel, also called a central pole or support column, is the central supporting pillar around which a helical staircase winds. It can also refer to an upright post that supports or terminates the handrail of a stair banister (the "newel post") ...

posts and then in the four-panel wooden interior door. The ceilings are

coffer A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, al ...

ed and have exposed wooden beams. Also located in the interior is a large 1909 wooden floor clock, a built-in storage cabinet, and two wooden fuse boxes that all evoke the Arts and Crafts movement.Behrens, p. 17. The building does demonstrate elements of Classical Revival architecture but they are minimal and concentrated around the front entrance. Below the front entrance hood there are two stone

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s and a stone

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case ...

, as well as

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

work adorning the

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

; leading to the front entrance are seven concrete stairs. The entire entry facade is a

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

-front, temple style design and on the library's east wing there are stone-capped modified

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...

es. Each of these elements demonstrates the Classical Revival style.

Significance

The Oregon Public Library was added to the U.S.

on May 9, 2003, for its architectural and educational significance.Behrens, p. 13. The building represents a good example of the Arts and Crafts movement in architecture. As a Carnegie library, the Oregon Public Library satisfied the requirements laid out for listing on the National Register in the Illinois Carnegie Libraries

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

. When the Oregon Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 the Oregon Library was included as a

.Novak, p. 28. The library building is considered the most "outstanding" of the Craftsman or Arts and Crafts buildings within the

boundaries.Novak, pp. 52-53.

Notes

References

*Novak, Alice.
Oregon Commercial Historic District
" (

PDF Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...

), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, July 12, 2006, HAARGIS Database, ''Illinois Historic Preservation Agency''. Retrieved July 12, 2007. *Behrens, Marsha, et al.
Oregon Public Library
" (

), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, March 27, 2003, HAARGIS Database, ''Illinois Historic Preservation Agency''. Retrieved July 12, 2007. *Schnell, Karen E. "," (PDF), Multiple Property Submission Form, January 6, 1994, National Register Information System, ''National Park Service''. Retrieved July 12, 2007.

External links

*
Oregon Public Library District
official site {{authority control Library buildings completed in 1909 Oregon, Illinois Buildings and structures in Oregon Commercial Historic District Carnegie libraries in Illinois Public libraries in Illinois Education in Ogle County, Illinois Tourist attractions in Ogle County, Illinois Historic district contributing properties in Illinois Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois