The Art of the South Portland Public Library

The South Portland Public Library has been depicted in artwork a few times over the years.  In today’s post, I wanted to share a few images I’ve come across as I’ve sorted through the library’s “archives” of historical clippings and ephemera – a tour of Art of the South Portland Public Library, if you will…

This first image is the original concept art of the building, which I’ve shared before.

This was produced in 1965, by the architectural firm designing the Main Library building, John H. Leasure and Associates.  We do have a basic line drawing version of this (printed as a blueprint) as part of our original building plans.  This colorized version appears to have been used for presentations to help “sell” the building.  The original, hand colored, sheet is in desperate need of restoration.  It, sadly, has a water stain running down the middle of it, and is quite tattered at the edges.  This image is a quick digital restoration of a photograph of the original.  I had this printed and mounted, and use it, from time to time, in presentations about the building.

There are a couple of notable features in this illustration.

You may be familiar with the five concrete slabs standing in front of the library’s front doors.  In this sketch, we see that they were intended to be the backdrop to a two level reflecting pool – with fountains – as well as a sculpture.

Sadly, public art and water features were the first items to go when officials began nipping at the building’s budget, so we were left with just the slabs.  By the way, the cost savings from cutting the reflecting pool?  $1,500.

Also seen (somewhat) in this sketch and never actually built, is the full stone wall along the short end of the building.

In the original plans, the intent was for the stone “base” of the building to appear as a continuous ribbon, upon which the concrete and glass structure appeared to be sitting.  Unfortunately – again, due to cuts to the construction budget – the stonework on the two short ends of the building was cut short as a cost saving measure.  We were left with, instead, four corners where the stonework abruptly ends.  The end sections were supposed to be connected and have plantings growing over the top of the stonework.  I would love to be able to complete these walls at some point to realize the original vision for the building.

By the way, the stone facing used throughout the lower level of the library (outside walls and in the interior lower lobby) came from the Bluestone Quarry on Sawyer Road, in Cape Elizabeth.

This next illustration is reproduced on a note card, found among early Library Advisory Board documentation.  The card is marked, on its reverse side, “The Friends of the South Portland Public Library.”

This sketch is signed “Margarite Kendall.”  It is difficult to discern much from this card, in terms of its date of origin.  Since it was found in a notebook of documents from the mid to late 1960s, we assume it is from the library’s earliest days.  The illustration contains some clues to the time frame.  The illustration depicts a large tree up on the front lawn, which we can verify from photos as having existed in 1967.  Also, the plantings alongside the front of the building are all rather low and just barely up to the windows.

The third illustration is from another note card, found in a desk drawer here at the library.  As with the other note card, little is known about the origin.

The work bears the signature “T. Rowe” in the lower right-hand corner.  I would estimate that the drawing originates from the early to mid 1970s.  Though it’s hard to tell much detail, given potential artistic license with the appearance of the building, there are several items that catch my eye.  First, the front lawn appears to not have the large elm trees, which we once had.  Also, the vegetation along the front windows has grown up significantly, and is beginning to block the windows.  The window quilts, installed sometime in the 1970s, we believe, are in place in the illustration – fully down in every other window and part way down in the others.  One last feature I noticed in this illustration are the canister down lights, mounted to the roof overhang, directly above the front entrance patio.  In the illustration, it appears that there are seven or eight light fixtures represented.  There were ever only actually seven, with just five remaining today.  The canisters at either end of the row were removed at some point in the past, and replaced with floodlights to illuminate the front of the building.  These floodlights, having long since corroded away into uselessness, were removed last year.

So, that’s a brief rundown of some of the artwork we have depicting the library.  I’d love to acquire originals or copies of any other illustrations or photographs of the library that may be floating around in the community.  If you know of any others – or if you know anything more about any of the work shown here, please get in touch with me, I’d love to hear from you!

As always, I always welcome your feedback and can be reached at:

Director@SouthPortlandLibrary.com

You can also keep up with the library on Twitter, @SoPoLibrary and on Facebook

Thanks,

Kevin