Carving details on the main stairway, 1926 Floral Motif on Column


75th Anniversary Main Page

About These Pages

The site is divided into 6 areas. These are reflected in the main menu items. Each menu item contains within it subsections determined by theme or function.

History – The fullest treatment of the history of the Central Library both as an institution and as a building on the Parkway.

  • The Founding of the Free Library of Philadelphia, 1889-1898
  • Temporary Quarters and the Quest for a Permanent Central Library, 1894-1910
  • Initial Plans for the Central Library at Logan Square, 1911
  • Delays and Disappointments, 1912-1920
  • Construction of the Central Library, 1921-1926
  • Opening Day, June 2, 1927
  • The Central Library and Logan Circle
Timeline – Presentation of information and images concerning the establishment and construction of the Central Library and related events specially formatted to be viewed in chronological order.

The Architects- Focus on the primary architects of the Central building; Horace Trumbauer and Julian Abele.  Pages about:

  • Julian Abele
  • Horace Trumbauer
  • The work of the Trumbauer Architectural Firm including Commercial and Residential projects, especially Whitemarsh
The Exhibition – An online representation of the exhibit of documents, photographs, and artifacts that will be displayed in the Lobby of Central Library for the anniversary year.

Search- The search pages for the site are built on a relational database containing pointers to approximately 331 digitized images. The collection itself, as discussed on The Collection section, is very diverse in terms of media and format as follows:

Media or Format Type Number of Items
Blueprints 4
Books 15
Cartoons (Commentary) 9
Clippings 3
Drawings24
Elevations1
Engravings 5
Exterior views1
Floor plans19
Illustrations4
Maps5
Mechanical Drawings2
Paintings7
Photographic prints132
Portraits1
Posters1
Realia43
Site plans 8
Specific scans, media or format types and subjects can be accessed by searching the database using the forms on the Search page. The following searches or browse capabilities are provided:
  • Single Keyword and Title search
  • Multiple Keyword and Title search
  • Browse alphabetically by Subject heading
  • Browse by material or format type

 

    


Floral Motif on Column
Floral Motif on Column
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