Ottumwa Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Ottumwa Public Library in downtown Ottumwa, Iowa
, United States
was built in 1901. It is part of the Central Park area, which is the civic center of the community. It includes the Wapello County Courthouse
, Ottumwa City Hall and St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church
. The library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1984.
. It was built in the Neo-Classical style. The two-story building rests on a raised basement and is topped by a shallow Roman style dome. It features a symmetrical façade
and a projecting portico
. The exterior walls are covered in grey Bedford stone
that is cut into smooth ashlar
blocks. Larger blocks, or quoins, are featured on the corners of the building. The original main doors were replaced c. 1950, but the original iron scrollwork remains in the transom
area.
The interior of the building has retained its original layout. It features a central rotunda
that is flanked by two reading rooms. The library stacks are located in the room at the rear of the building.
The interior dome is highlighted with stained glass
in the center. A local painter named Johannes Scheiwe painted a mural in the dome and allegorical figures in the spandrel
s below. Because of water damage the dome was re-plastered and painted in the 1940s. The allegorical figures of the arts, poetry, history and science were spared. They are clothed in both Classical and Victorian dress. The rotunda also retains the original tile floor. The hexagonal tiles feature a creamy white center area and blue and grey patterned border.
Ottumwa, Iowa
Ottumwa is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,998 at the 2000 census. It is located in the southeastern part of Iowa, and the city is split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was built in 1901. It is part of the Central Park area, which is the civic center of the community. It includes the Wapello County Courthouse
Wapello County Courthouse
The Wapello County Courthouse in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States was built in 1894. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and...
, Ottumwa City Hall and St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church
St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church (Ottumwa, Iowa)
St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Davenport. The church building is located on the corner of 4th and Court Streets in downtown Ottumwa, Iowa United States. It is part of the Central Park area, which is the civic center of the community. It includes: the...
. The library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1984.
Architecture
The library building was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Smith and Gutterson and funded by Andrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
. It was built in the Neo-Classical style. The two-story building rests on a raised basement and is topped by a shallow Roman style dome. It features a symmetrical façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
and a projecting portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
. The exterior walls are covered in grey Bedford stone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
that is cut into smooth ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
blocks. Larger blocks, or quoins, are featured on the corners of the building. The original main doors were replaced c. 1950, but the original iron scrollwork remains in the transom
Transom
Transom may refer to:* Transom , a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window* Transom , one of the beams running athwart the ship's hull at the fashion timbers or the surface that forms the flat back panel of a stern of a vessel* Operation Transom, a major bombing raid* Transom knot,...
area.
The interior of the building has retained its original layout. It features a central rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
that is flanked by two reading rooms. The library stacks are located in the room at the rear of the building.
The interior dome is highlighted with stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
in the center. A local painter named Johannes Scheiwe painted a mural in the dome and allegorical figures in the spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
s below. Because of water damage the dome was re-plastered and painted in the 1940s. The allegorical figures of the arts, poetry, history and science were spared. They are clothed in both Classical and Victorian dress. The rotunda also retains the original tile floor. The hexagonal tiles feature a creamy white center area and blue and grey patterned border.