The Old Cincinnati Library, located at 629 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, was celebrated for its stunning interior and extensive collection. It originally housed around 60,000 books, with space for up to 300,000. The total investment for the property and its construction reached $383,594.53, which translates to about $7.7 million today.
Once regarded as “the most magnificent public library in the country,” this architectural gem met its end in 1955. What events led to its destruction?
Built in 1874 on land initially set aside for an opera house, the Old Cincinnati Library was a thing of wonder. It was comprised of three buildings: the front building, originally intended as the opera house, the middle building and the main hall.
The main hall received much acclaim for its stunning design, highlighted by cast-iron alcoves, elegant spiral staircases, and a magnificent skylight. Its floor was adorned with a striking checkerboard marble pattern.
Visitors were greeted at the entrance by busts of famous writers like William Shakespeare, John Milton, and Benjamin Franklin. With towering pillars, five levels of intricately carved cast-iron shelves, and an impressive atrium, the library often evoked comparisons to the enchanting worlds found in Harry Potter.
“The main hall is a splendid work”, The Enquirer reported at the opening. “The hollow square within the columns is lighted by an arched clear roof of prismatic glass set in iron, the light of which is broken and softened by a paneled ceiling of richly colored glass.
The Old Cincinnati Library was primarily designed by local architect James McLaughlin, but the visionary behind its layout was William Frederick Poole, a librarian from Boston who oversaw the library from 1869 to 1873. Poole played a key role in shaping the library's features, including the cast-iron reading room, central heating, and the installation of an elevator.
In addition to the spacious main reading room, the library contained several smaller rooms. The third floor housed four “art rooms,” featuring thousands of rare books from the United States and Western Europe. The fourth-floor attic was home to the Training Class, an in-house library school established by librarian Laura Smith.
The Old Main also boasted a large collection of lantern slides, used for popular travel lectures. By 1928, the collection had expanded to over 45,000 slides covering topics like travel, science, art, and architecture.
The Cincinnati Library may have looked magnificent, it had significant practical issues. In the summer, it became stiflingly hot due to the lack of windows. because it lacked windows. Even with electric lights, reading was challenging due to the dimness. Winter brought its own problems, as coal furnaces left black soot on the books, leading the library to hire “book cleaners” to keep the collections tidy.
Old Main eventually became overcrowded, surpassing its 300,000-book capacity. Some volumes were stored in the basement, which was prone to flooding and caused damage. Additionally, patrons were not allowed to access the stacks themselves; library staff had to retrieve books to ensure everyone’s safety.
According to the book Free & Public, the Old Main Library had its share of tragedies. In 1875, Willie Haldecamp fell while using the elevator to reach the third floor, and in 1902, John Sloan met a similar fate when he fell down the elevator shaft. These accidents highlighted unsafe conditions and led to the decision to build a new facility.
In 1955, the library relocated to a modern building at 800 Vine Street, just down the road. Unfortunately, the stunning original library was demolished and replaced by a parking garage. However, to honor Old Main, three busts of notable figures were moved from the former library’s entrance to the garden at the new location.
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