 |
Friends of Blackstone Branch LibraryThis page is brought to you by the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference and its website www.hydepark.org and will become a page of information from Friends of Blackstone Library, associated with HPKCC. To contact or join Friends of Blackstone, contact Brenda Sawyer.Join the Conference and support our work. Contact HPKCC. Friends of Blackstone website: http://friendsofblackstone.wordpress.com/ |
HPKCC program home. Committees. About HPKCC.
 |
 |
For
history and architecture of Blackstone Branch Library visit our Blackstone
page.
Chicago Public
Library website, search branches.
Friends website http://friendsofblackstone.wordpress.com/
Welcome
to Friends of Blackstone Library, which became a committee of Hyde Park-Kenwood
Community Conference August 7, 2008. FOBL president Brenda
Sawyer was elected to the HPKCC Board December 4, 2008.
Join Friends and you automatically become a member
of HPKCC!
Friends of Blackstone Library meets first Wednesdays, 6 pm, downstairs at the Library. President Brenda (Mrs. Roderick) Sawyer
Help support the library: contact Brenda to buy a tee-shirt. View tee-shirt, drawn by a local artist.Friends of Blackstone's Despres Family Author Series: Next February 24, Wednesday, 6:30 Tyrone Hayes on environment.
For more information about upcoming lectures, visit http://friendsofblackstone.workpress.com/.
To schedule of other events and programs
Library:
New hours for Blackstone Library (48 hours per week only): M, W 12-8 pm. T, Th 10 am-6 pm. F and Sat 9 am-5 pm.Blackstone Branch Library. Phone 312 747-1105. Location 4904 S. Lake Park Avenue.
Branch Manager Anne Keogh; children's library Tina Carter, 312 747-0511, elcarter@chipublib.org .Friends:
Friends of Blackstone elected officers:
Brenda Sawyer (Mrs Roderick), President
Vicky Long, Vice President
Website: http://friendsofblackstone.wordpress.com/
The offices of Treasurer and Secretary are open at this time.Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference is pleased to act as fiscal agent for Friends of Blackstone.
Big budget cuts are disturbing. Effects include cuts to at most 68 hours operation a day. CPL says staff is overextended from layoff of the pages (book movers) and others, and book retrieval and turnaround. Also, with very few evenings open, the library cannot fulfill its secondary function of serving not only patrons but community groups and programs
It's here: The Despres Family Author Series. See here for more: Mr. Pruter gave a wonderful talk on Doowop the Chicago Scene.
The next Friends of Blackstone Library Despres Family Author Series is February 24, Wednesday, 6:30 pm at the library: Tyrone B. Hayes, a chemist who blew the whistle- and his career with a major pharmaceutical company- over his findings on atrozine pesticide. Also present will be experts on environmental hazards and pitfalls on the South Side. Blackstone Library auditorium. http://friendsofblackstone.wordpress.com. 4904 S. Lake Park.
February 6, Saturday, 2 pm. Stories that Change Lives. Celebrate Black History Month at this intergenerational program. Share a story about a person, book or event that has had a positive effect on your life, talk about a role model, family member, favorite teacher, favorite book. Blackstone Library, 4904 S. Lake Park, 312 747-0511. http://friendsofblackstone.wordpress.com.
Recurring programs- check with the library or http://www.chicagopubliclibrary.org.
Toddler Time two Mondays 10 am
Preschool Story Time two Tuesdays 10 am
Green Gardening Club certain Wednesdays in summer 9:30
Crafts and Conversation two Wednesdays 6:30
Book Discussion for Adults 3rd Saturdays 1 pm
Teen Book Volume
Crafts and stories for kidsMusic Teachers of Hyde Park 4th Monday concerts
Toastmasters Mondays at 7
smARTkids@Blackstone
Library
Is at the Coleman library 10-12, Blackstone 2-4 2nd Saturdays.
.
Friends of Blackstone Library was formed in 2003 by a diverse set of concerned neighbors to serve as an advisory council for Chicago's first branch library, promote use and improvement of the library, and provide volunteer and fundraising services for Blackstone. FBL gratefully acknowledges the efforts of previous volunteer support groups at the library and the many organizations, businesses, and individuals and families that support the FBL and the library. The Friends, which elected officers in January, 2005, has:
Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference has long been interested in the success and growth of the library and has published information and promotion about the library and its support groups. In the middle decades of the 20th century, HPKCC monitored use, efficiency, and a serious book loss at the branch. In 2010 HPKCC became fiscal agent for FOB and is looking at ways to help.
Residents joined those who secured library physical restoration, ADA compliance and program commitments from Chicago Public Library. As a result, the branch is now very internet-connected, having a bank of public terminals, and has more programs and partners. There has been long-standing observation that the many kids coming to the library after school (many of them "latchkey") could be much better assisted to make full use of the library- a concern of the Conference from the middle 1990s when a previous set of "friends" came to us.
Mission:
Activites:
Benefits of being a Friend
Here is Hyde Park-based artist Gregor Sosnowski's drawing for Friends' silk screened t-shirts, rolled out at the September, 2004 Centennial Celebration. Buy a tee-shirt: Contact Brenda Sawyer.
Isabella Norton Blackstone dedicated the T. B. Blackstone Memorial Library, Chicago Public Library's first branch, on January 8, 1904, in memory of her husband, Timothy Beach Blackstone. Mr. Blackstone had been the president of the Chicago and Alton Railroad prior to his death in 1900. He was also a founding president of the Union Stock Yards.
The Blackstone Branch took two years to complete (1902-1904) at a cost of $250,000. Its architect was Solon S. Beman, designer of the Pullman Historic District. Beman modeled the building after the Erechthion, a temple on the Acropolis named for Erechtheus, a mythical king of Athens. The exterior is made of Concord granite, while parts of the interior are furnished with Italian veined marble. The building's rotunda has a Tiffany-style dome with a decorative pattern representing Egyptian papyrus. In the lunettes beneath the dome are four murals by artist Oliver Dennet Grover, who was associated with the World's Columbian Exposition. The paintings are entitled Literature, Science, Art, and Labor.
The Blackstone Branch has a sister library, the James Blackstone Memorial, located in Branford, Connecticut. Eight years earlier, T. B. Blackstone hired Mr. Beman and Mr. Grover to design a library in memory of his father. The James Blackstone Memorial is also fashioned after the Erechthion.
The Blackstone Branch's adult reading rooms hold mahogany furniture specifically designed for the space. Also found in these rooms are matching built-in shelving and custom-made bronze lamps. By the circulation desk in the center of the library are two-tiered book stacks trimmed with bronze. The mezzanine floor is made of glass blocks, which children years ago referred to as an "ice skating pond."
The current children's room was built as an annex in 1939 as part of a Works Project Administration (WPA) project at a cost of $68,400.
As Blackstone reaches its 100th year, it continues to serve the Hyde Park, Kenwood, and Oakland communities, which have grown to a population of 54,000.* The branch owns a collection of 52,600 items, including books, music cds, audio books, magazines, and newspapers. Internet access and several online reference databases are provided free of charge. Ongoing programs include an adult book discussion group, Internet tutoring, children's story times and arts & crafts projects. Additionally, each year the Branch participates in the Chicago Public Library's system-wide Summer Reading Program.
*Census 2ooo
Service Area Population: 50,084
Ethnic Grouping (1990 Census)
African American 53.3%
White 37.8%
Hispanic 2.4%
Asian American 6.1%
Native American 0.2%
Other 0.3%
Age distribution (1990 Census)
0-17 years 19.6%
18-34 years 33.8%
35-64 years 33.1%
65+ 13.5%
Average School Years Completed: 12.8
Schools Served: Elementary: 17
High School: 4
Shared with other branches: 1
February
2004.
This
opening-of-the-centennial reception featured speakers, including CPL and branch
staff and Stephen Treffman of the Hyde Park Historical Society, recognition
of former 5th Ward alderman Leon Despres whose father was on the CPL board when
the branch was built, music from a quartet from the Hyde Park Youth Symphony,
and refreshments.
September
18, 2004
Event speakers included State Representative and Majority Leader Barbara Flynn
Currie, Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago Public Library Region Manager Ken
Jones, Hyde Park Historical Society Archivist Stephen Treffman. A Proclamation
by President George W. Bush was read. We had music with the Hyde Park Youth
Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble and the inimitable Jesse Scinto, cake, face
painting, balloons, entertainment, a treasure hunt, and prizes. Hyde Park writer
Jenny Schroedel, author of "The Blackbird's Nest: St. Kevin of Ireland"
published by Saint Valdimir's Seminary Press conducted a make-your-own-picture
book workshop for children. The Friends of the Blackstone Branch Library of
the Chicago Public Library continues to conduct a membership drive including
with commemorative t-shirts at $10 designed
by local artist Gregor Sosnowski. Proceeds go to
the branch library itself and FOB library development. For information, contact
Dina Weinstein. (773) 643-6045.
Work underway this summer 2009 (see after 2007 piece). August 31 talk by the restorer at 7 pm. 4904 S. Lake Park
Conservator gives talk July 2007
Hyde Park Herald, July 18, 2007. By Eric Kasang
Blackstone Branch Library staff and supporters are revving up for restorations of the historic murals adorning the interior of its domed entrance. People walking into the Hyde Park library at 4904 S. lake Park Ave. and tilting their heads upward will notice four faded murals depicting angels and artisans gracing the ceiling's dome.
And on July 18 an 20 at 7 p.m., Peter M. Schoenmann, head conservator of paintings and murals for Parma Conservation, Ltd., wil give a free presentation on the restoration. Schoenmann has been tapped by the Blackstone to undertake the project.
Branch manager Ann Keough said this conservation is urgent. "The murals needed attention rather quickly," Keough said. "[Schoenmann] will go over some actual conservations that he's done and he'll provide a critical analysis of the murals."
The murals, with themes relating to labor, literature, the arts and agriculture, were painted by Oliver Dennet Grover, an artist who created many important murals in Chicago buildings and who was a major presence during the Word's Columbian Exhibition in 1893.
Keough said she tried to get funding for the mural conservation through the Chicago Public Library Foundation, but did not receive any money. However, she received funding for the murals from Hyde Park State Rep. Barbara Flynn Curie (D25). "We were very happy that she secured this money because the murals need restoration quickly," Keough said.
Currie said she was ferry happy to help Blackstone. "I know that they have been trying to secure funding for some time," Currie said. "And I was happy to make sure libraries in my district get the help they need."
The Blackstone murals have problems like discoloration from a previous coating on the paintings and a loose canvass, according to Schoenmann. He hoped that the presentation would rekindle interest in the project. He also explained that conservation is preserving the original murals and not repainting them. "Conservation has less to do being an artist than it has to do with being a chemist and technician," Schoenmann said. "What we focus on is getting to the truth, which means never adding anything, but in fact removing all unoriginal materials."
Schoenmann said these "unoriginal materials" included various old varnishes and grime. He said the goal is to return to the artisan's original creation. "We want to get to what the artist had intended for the viewer to see," Schoenmann said. "And that never involves interpreting or painting."
Started in 1902, the Blackstone Library was originally a gift to the City of Chicago from Isabel Norton Blackstone in memory of her husband and railroad magnate Timothy Beach Blackstone. The building was designed by noted architect Solon S. Beman and is a shining example of the Classical Revival style of architecture. For more information, please cal the Blackstone Branch Library at 312 747-0511.
Blackstone Murals receive rehab. July 29, 2009. By Sam Cholke
The murals high up in the main rotunda of Blackstone Library, 4904 S. Lake Park Ave., are getting their first care in 50 years -- and it's being done right this time. "They're pretty dirty," said librarian Lala Rodgers of the four main panels of the mural depicting literature, science, labor and art. the murals looked like they had never been cleaned, she said.
In 1959, the paintings were coated with "no. 38 dull," a furniture varnish, that trapped dirt in the crannies of the canvas paintings, said Peter Schoenmann from Parma Conservation. "The coating made it look worse that if it hadn't been touched," he said. "It took a lot of testing to come up with a formula that would remove no. 38 dull, but we were successful," Schoenmann said.
Schoenmann and conservationists from Bernacki & Associates, who are restoring the plaster trim and dome that was damaged from a leak in the library's roof, will finish their work in the first week of August. They will return to the library at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 to give a presentation on the process of restoring the Oliver Dennett Grover paintings.
"He was one of the greatest Chicago artists," Schoenmann said. "He was at the center of everything in art in Chicago at the time." Grover was a prominent turn-of-the-century painter in the Beaux Arts style, who displayed work during the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. He was closely aligned with respected architects of the fair, including Solon Beman, who would go on to design the Blackstone Library. "It's amazing how few brushstrokes [Grover] needed to render something that looked alive," Schoenmann said. "These are exquisite -- it's a shame they're up so high."
The historically and artistically important dome murals by Oliver Dennett Grover were restored, unveiled and the subject of a major lecture summer, 2009.
The programs were splendid . Thanks from FOBL and HPKCC to sponsors including State Representative Barbara Flynn Currie (who secured a $100,000 grant from the Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity), Secretary of State Jesse White, State Librarian, Chicago Public Library, Mary Dempsey, Commissioner, Elizabeth Dowd, CPL preservationist, Branch Librarian Anne Keough and staff, Bernacke Company, Parma Restorers, and many others. Friends of Blackstone took the initiative in spurring this project.
Unveiling and dedication were held in a very nice, well attended ceremony and press conference August 27. August 31, the restorers and the CPL preservationist gave wonderful talks on their work to a packed auditorium.
Blackstone Library murals fixed. Hyde Park Herald, August 26, 2009
Illinois House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-25) and Library Commissioner Mary A. Dempsey will unveil the fully restored Blackstone Branch Library mural at 1 p.m. Aug. 27. Currie was instrumental in securing the $100,000 necessary to restore the mural by Oliver Dennett Grover for the first time in over 50 years.
"It's amazing how few brushstrokes [Grover] needed to render something that looked alive," said Peter Schoenmann from Parma Conservation, which restored the mural's four painted panels in the library's rotunda. "These are exquisite-- it's a shame they're so high up."
Grover, who painted the 14-foot by 9-foot panels, was a prominent local artist and muralist for Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The murals depict the themes of literature, science, labor and at, each with a central statuesque winged female surrounded by other figures and allegorical symbols. The murals are framed by elaborate decorative plasterwork that continues up into the dome and is accented in gold leaf. Grover reportedly received $10,000 in 1902 to produce the murals, which were recently appraised at more than 100 times that amount.
The library is named for a Chicago philanthropist, Timothy Beach Blackstone, former president of the Chicago and Alton Railroad. His widow, Mrs. Isabel Farnsworth Norton Blackstone, commissioned celebrated Chicago architect Solon S. Beman to design the branch building as a gift to the Chicago Public Library and citizens of Chicago in memory of her husband. Beman's design for the building was inspired by the Erectheion, a temple on the Athenian Acropolis.
Learn what other service organizations and centers are doing in the community in our Collaborers in the Neighborhood, Community Resources, and Recreation Guide pages.