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1925 On June 11, Trumbauer publishes "The Specification of Interior Finish
and Decoration of Building of the Free Library of Philadelphia."
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1925-26 The F. W. Mark Construction
Company is awarded the contract to finish the
library's interior. Over the next two years, their
subcontractor, the H. W. Miller Company, decorates
the interior spaces with cast plaster
figures drawn from ancient Greece and Rome and
from medieval Europe. Among the many figures
depicted in plaster relief are Athena, Zeus, Hercules, and Athenian
horsemen. Several rooms -- including the entrance hall -- are enriched
by ornate, coffered-plaster ceilings.
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The highlight of the grand staircase is a bronze
statue of Free Library founder Dr. William
Pepper by artist Karl Bitters. Numerous classical
elements carved by the John Donnelly
Company in marble and limestone grace the
staircase, reading rooms, and hallways. Carved marble lamps flank the grand staircase. Interior floors
are of pink Tennessee marble banded with green marble; terazzo floors of pink Tennessee, pink English, and black Belgian chips: and Welsh
Quarry tiles.
The Art Metal Company of Jamestown, New York, is awarded the world's largest metal library equipment contract to supply the library's furnishings and equipment. Their products employ no wood or other flammable materials, ensuring that the furnishings are fireproof. Virtually all of the building's original lighting fixtures will eventually be replaced with fluorescent and other more modern lighting devices. However, a later portrait by Robert Susan of John Ashhurst, who oversaw the design and construction of the library building between 1916 and 1927, will show one of the original green-globed brass reading lamps.
Beautiful hand-wrought iron gates flank the three front portals on Vine Street and the two side stair
doorways on the second floor. Unique hand-wrought decorations embellish the main elevator
entrances. Although their maker is unknown, the ironwork is very similar to contemporary work
done by famed Philadelphia artist Samuel Yellin.
John Ashhurst 3rd, Librarian: Portrait Details