THE DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Detroit Public Library: Detroits City Beautiful Remnant

This paper will discuss the historical significance, physical and behavioral observations
that I made about the library. The history of the library is connected to the history of the city, its
growth in population, as well as its population decrease. Through my observations about the
building itself and the people who work and visit the library, I show that the way the library is
used has changed, but is still important. Finally, I demonstrate that the Detroit Public Library is a
remnant of Detroits effort to be a beautiful and planned city, which is why the Detroit Public
Library is an important part of city life in Detroit.
Historical Significance
Michigans 1835 state constitution specifically states that the legislature shall provide
libraries, which directly impacted the formation of the Detroit Public Library (Mich. Const. pt. 4
art. X, repealed 1850). In 1859, the Board of Education of Detroit began a committee to start a
library (Woodford 22). The first Detroit Public Library was in a room of the Capitol Building in
Capital Park and was opened in 1865 (Austin 51). Eventually, the library needed more space so
the city built a new library in Center Park at Gratiot and Farmer Street, opened in 1877 (Austin
55). In 1910, Andrew Carnegie, the robber baron and philanthropist offered the city money to
build a new library (Van Slyck). Carnegie was particularly interested in libraries because they
helped other people achieve the same American Dream that he had achieved (Van Slyck).
Carnegies libraries, especially Detroits, facilitated Detroits very individualistic, American
ideals, because people could become educated by visiting the library and therefore get better
jobs.
The new librarys location was determined to be on Woodward, between Kirby and
Putnam Street (Austin 58). Workers broke ground for the Main Branch of the Detroit Public

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Library in 1915, and the cornerstone was laid in 1917 (Woodford 417-418). The library was
delayed in opening because of labor and material shortages due to the First World War, and as a
result the library officially opened in 1921 (Woodford 418). Cass Gilbert designed the library and
also designed the Supreme Court building in Washington D.C. (Austin 58). The library thrived
through the 1920s, whereas it barely survived through the Great Depression, when many
unemployed people increased the amount of people using the library, heavily taxing the librarys
resources (Woodford 361). However, by 1940, the library was back to thriving, and that same
year the librarys bookmobile service started (Woodford 420). By 1944, the citys need for the
library grew so much that Cass Gilberts son, Cass Gilbert Jr., and Francis Keally were named as
architects for an addition to the library (Woodford 421). This was because by this time, the
library had over 1,000,000 volumes, and they would not all fit in the existing space and the
library continued to receive donations of collections of books from wealthy Detroiters
(Woodford 420). Plans for the addition were changed many times between 1950 and 1958
(Woodford 403). The funds for the addition to the library were not approved until 1957, and
ground was finally broken in 1958 (Woodford 404, 423). The addition was not dedicated until
1963, however, because each construction was divided up into stages, and each stage had to have
its allotted funds before it could be completed (Woodford 403-404).
In more recent years, the Detroit Public Library has been forced to scale back operations,
as the population of Detroit has shrunk quite a bit since the addition was dedicated. In 2011, the
library cut its staff by 20% even though there was a 16% increase in library visits (Nealing). The
library has also been forced to close 10 of the 23 branches of the Detroit library system (Patton).
Even more recently, the Detroit Public Library has faced the further strain of corruption. In 2012,
the FBI raided the library after one of the librarys employees benefitted financially from

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million-dollar contracts with technology companies (Baldas and Lawrence). The corruption cost
the library millions of dollars, which was particularly devastating during a time when the library
is facing shrinking resources (Baldas and Lawrence).
Physical and Behavioral Observations
I visited the library twice in preparation for this paper. The first time I went, it was on a
quiet Friday morning when the library first opened for the day. The first thing I noticed about the
library was its location in the city: it is located in Midtown, and is literally sandwiched between
Wayne State Universitys campus and the Detroit Institute of Arts. It is also located near the
Scarab Club, which is an art gallery and studio, and the Detroit Science Center. Therefore, the
library is located in the educational and cultural center of Detroit.
Both the interior and exterior of the library are made with Italian white marble.
Inscriptions of the classical Greek philosophers like Aristotle are on the outside, and over the
door knowledge is power is inscribed, which reflects the librarys purpose, which is to educate,
inform, and further the knowledge of humanity, specifically the humans who live in Detroit. The
library is also very large: it is 420,000 square feet (Main Branch History). Just inside the
entrance to the library are pillars made of more white Italian marble, and a magnificent ceiling
modelled on the palaces of Europe. The room to the right is the H.Y.P.E. (Helping Young People
Excel) center, which is the part of the library designated specifically for teenagers, although
originally it was the childrens section. The fireplace is made of Pewabic pottery and depicts
fairy tales, since the room was originally intended for children. Above the fireplace is a painted
map of Michigan, which features several symbols and motifs concerning the state and its origin.

THE DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY

When you leave the H.Y.P.E. center and go up the magnificent staircase, the ceiling is
graced by a large mural, which is balanced by the plain white marble walls. The main room when
you go up the stairs is the reading room and has natural lighting from the painted windows that is
ideal for reading. Surrounding the reading room are rooms containing books and music, which
are organized by discipline. The ceiling are very ornate, while the walls not covered by shelves
are plain white to balance the decoration of the ceiling. Downstairs, entering the 1963 addition,
are more rooms containing books and other materials. The two wings of the addition have
reference books and a large amount of computers, as well as the childrens section. There is also
a room specifically for genealogical research. One thing that I thought was interesting was that
you can tell when you are entering the part of the library that was added on in 1963. The addition
has a more modern feel, and it is more city practical, than city beautiful, especially when
compared to the original part of the library.
The first time I went to the library it was a Friday morning just after it opened. There
were not too many people there, especially on the second floor, but this was probably because
most people are at work or school on a Friday morning. The second time I went was on a
Saturday morning, and there were more people there. Some people were there for an organized
purpose, while others were there more spontaneously. I went on a tour of the library, and all of
the people going on the tour and leading it were older white men and women. There was also a
genealogical society using one of the librarys rooms as a meeting place, and all of these people
were older black men and women. The rest of the people at the library were a mix of black and
white, and their ages ranged from approximately two to senior citizens. The children mostly
stayed in the childrens section, and the rest of the adults were scattered throughout the library.
There were a lot of people making use of the librarys computers, and a lot less people were

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actually reading books or magazines. Most patrons of the library were quiet as the pursued their
own individual tasks, but anyone who did talk was quiet and respectful. Most of the interactions
took place between the librarians and the patrons: the patrons did not talk to each other for the
most part. Computers also eliminated some of the interaction between the librarians and the
patrons, since people can look up the information they need on the catalogs on the computers.
However, for some of the older areas of the library there are used primarily by intense
researchers, the information about what books are where is still in old-fashioned card catalogs
that have not been transcribed electronically, so a librarians assistance is necessary.
Evaluation
Even though the library has suffered financially both from budget cuts and corruption
scandals, there is still a sense that the library is useful to Detroiters, and at least initially visitors
cannot tell that the library has been affected by these financial problems. However, somebody
who had visited the library when it first opened or during the time when Detroit was more
populated would probably notice a drastic change. There are probably less patrons and
employees than there used to be. There is also a sense that the purpose of the library has
changed. Although most of the library is taken up by books, most people seemed to be visiting
the library to use the computers and access the internet. I saw the most people use the computers,
and very few people reading or looking for books. This is perhaps because many people who live
in the city of Detroit cannot afford a computer or internet access, so the library fulfills a need that
people have in order to function in the twenty-first century. The library fulfills an education need
that was Andrew Carnegies goal through his philanthropy, even if how this goal is accomplished
has changed (Van Slyck). Also, although not as many people use the library for books, some

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people do, and the Main library is useful for people who do need books because it has such a vast
collection.
The sheer amount of resources that the library has also draws people to it. I spoke to one
of the librarians, and he said that although there are a large amount of books that are shelved,
there are also even more books in storage that can be checked out with the help of a librarian.
The library has every book that you could possibly think of, so it is very useful for people who
are doing intense research, for example if they are writing a book about gangsters in Detroit. The
Detroit Public library specializes in genealogy, which is evidenced by the fact that a genealogical
society was using the library as a meeting place while I was there and also because the library
has a whole room devoted to genealogy records. Detroit still has some resources that cannot be
found in the suburbs, and the genealogy room is one such resource. The genealogy room is what
brings a lot of suburbanites to the library and to the downtown Detroit area, so it shows that not
all suburbanites have completely abandoned Detroit. The library is a contradiction to the
assumption that a lot of tension exists between the suburbs and the city. The library is a positive
example of one way that the suburbanites and city dwellers can interact.
Although the library is overall a positive for the city of Detroit, it is not completely unproblematic. The future of the library may be affected by the corruption scandals. These scandals
have and will continue to cause the library a lot of financial problems, and the library may not be
able to continue to function as it has because of these problems. For example, the library has a lot
beautiful art that needs to be restored and maintained, and the library simply does not have
enough money to do so. When I was on the tour of the library, the tour guides continued to push
us to go on a paid, private tour and purchase items from the gift shop so that they could use the
money to restore the librarys art. The art and architecture of the library are what make the

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Detroit Public Library unique, especially since both the interior and exterior of the building are
part of Detroits last remaining city beautiful structures. Most of the other buildings that were
part of Detroits city beautiful way of seeing are torn down or abandoned and in ruins. Although
the rest of the city seems to want to forget the past, the Detroit Public Library is one of the last
remaining ways that the city can live with the past instead of forgetting it completely.

THE DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY

References
Austin, Dan (2012). Forgotten Landmarks of Detroit. Charleston: The History Press.
Baldas, Tresa, and Eric D. Lawrence (21 November 2012). "FBI Raids Detroit Public Library
After Allegations of Tech Contract Fraud." Detroit Free Press ProQuest.
Detroit Public Library. (n.d.) Main Library History. Retrieved from
http://www.detroitpubliclibrary.org/library/about-us
Michigan Constitution Part 4 Article X, repealed 1850.
Neavling, Steve (27 February 2011). "Detroit Public Library to Cut 83 Workers." Detroit Free
Press ProQuest.
Patton, Naomi R (7 May 2011). "Public Asks Panel to Spare Detroit Library Branches." Detroit
Free Press ProQuest.
Van Slyck, Abigail, A. (November 2004). "Andrew Carnegie PUBLIC LIBRARY
PHILANTHROPIST." Veranda: 104,104,106,108,254.ProQuest. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
Woodford, Frank B. (1965). Parnassus on Main Street: A History of the Detroit Public Library.
Detroit: Wayne State University Press.