The Planning and Formal Opening of Library Hall Author(S): Richard H
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The Planning and Formal Opening of Library Hall Author(s): Richard H. Shryock Source: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 104, No. 4, Dedication of Library Hall of the American Philosophical Society, Autumn General Meeting, November, 1959 (Aug. 15, 1960), pp. 349-356 Published by: American Philosophical Society Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/985614 Accessed: 30-08-2018 18:59 UTC REFERENCES Linked references are available on JSTOR for this article: https://www.jstor.org/stable/985614?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference#references_tab_contents You may need to log in to JSTOR to access the linked references. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at https://about.jstor.org/terms American Philosophical Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society This content downloaded from 65.213.241.226 on Thu, 30 Aug 2018 18:59:22 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms THE PLANNING AND FORMAL OPENING OF LIBRARY HALL RICHARD H. SHRYOCK Librarian, American Philosophical Society ON November 11, 1959, the American Philo- 1845; after which the growth of its library led sophical Society formally opened its new Library to migrations to rooms elsewhere, then to a Hall-the first building planned to house the building of its own in 1863, and finally to its valuable books and manuscripts collected over the present home on Twenty-second Street in 1909. two preceding centuries. The decision to erect Likewise the Library Company, which constructed this building was not reached lightly, but grew the original Library Hall across the street from out of the conviction that the collections should Philosophical Hall in 1790, finally gave up that be maintained and made available under favorable building about 1880 and moved to two locations- conditions to all serious readers. The Society the one on, and the other near, South Broad recognized an obligation to preserve its Library Street. as a part of the cultural heritage of the American It will be noted that while these two institutions people. moved westward with the center of the city, the For those familiar with the Society's history, Philosophical Society remained in the original the completion of Library Hall had much of the area. There, on the one square of Fifth Street fascination of a dream come true. For at between Chestnut and Walnut, had been located intervals, ever since the first few books had been in 1800 the first scientific society, the first circu- acquired before the Revolution, the problems of lating library, the first museum, the first medical housing and servicing them had presented diffi- academy, and the first medical school building in culties. For a long period after 1789 the Library the United States. No other short thoroughfare remained in Philosophical Hall, where certain is of such significance in the cultural traditions adjustments were eventually made in order to of the nation. But by mid-twentieth century the accommodate it. After some sixty years the Hall Philosophical Society, alone among the original began to seem inadequate for the Society as a occupants, remained on this historic site. whole, and in 1866 George B. Wood was ap- The Society, it is true, also sensed the impulse pointed chairman of a group of trustees who were to move westward with the city. In 1900 a new to raise a fund "for the erection of a fire-proof Building Fund 1 was started and the Girard Trust building." How successful this effort was is Company was made the depositary and trustee. unknown, but such amounts as were raised were By 1928, this Fund amounted to about $80,000. apparently spent on remodeling and on the addi- In that year, during the presidency of Dr. Francis tion of a third floor to the Hall in 1890. Although X. Dercum, the Society decided to institute a the new floor provided enough space for the campaign to increase the amount and engaged the Library at the time, it also became inadequate John Price Jones Corporation as adviser. In No- after another two decades and the collections vember, 1929, Mr. Eldridge R. Johnson, National l egan to spill over into the basement. Treasurer of the Fund, reported that 296 subscrip- In retrospect, the successive difficulties en- tions totaling $978,465 had been received. It was countered in caring for the Library were inevita- intended by this time to use the Fund to erect ble under the circumstances. Given an active a building for the Society on the Parkway-on Society within an expanding city and nation, at a lot which the City of Philadelphia contracted a time when scholarly publications were prolifer- to convey to the Society in exchange for ating, the growth of the Library was certain to Philosophical Hall. Subsequently, however, sen- outstrip its physical bounds. This was the timent for retaining the old Hall was aroused. experience not only of the Philosophical Society The contract for exchange of property was then but also of its sister institutions in Philadelphia. 1 This is variously referred to in the records as the The College of Physicians, for example, was Building Fund, the Building and Endowment Fund, and also lodged in Philosophical Hall from 1791 to the Benjamin Franklin Endowment Fund. PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, VOL. 104, NO. 4, AUGUST, 1960 349 This content downloaded from 65.213.241.226 on Thu, 30 Aug 2018 18:59:22 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 350 RICHARD H. SHRYOCK [PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC. abrogated and the City Council re-affirmed the Federal Government's plan for the creation of Society's title to the property at Independence the Independence National Historical Park. Square. These plans were inspired in part by the Inde- When the Society decided to remain in Philo- pendence Hall Association, a voluntary body in sophical Hall, the problem of housing the Library which certain members of the Societv-such as became acute. Consequently, in 1934, the collec- Judge Edwin 0. Lewis, Dr. Wrilliam E. tions were moved across Fifth Street into quarters Lingelbach, and the Honorable Roland S. rented in the Drexel Building. This arrangement, Morris-played a leading part. The govern- while not a permanently satisfactory one, pro- mental authorities decided to clear most of the vided more space than had hitherto been available. area between Chestnut and Walnut Streets, east It also set a precedent-one can now see-for of Fifth Street, as a Federal Mall within the new locating the Library elsewhere than in Philo- Park. sophical Hall. A second trend, during these years. was the Meantime, the Society confronted the problem growing concern among some members of the of the proper use of the Building Fund. In 1937 Society for the more effective care and use of the Roland S. Morris, as President, inquired of each Library. When the collections were moved to donor to the Fund whether the gift might be used the Drexel Building in 1934, interest was aroused for the future erection of a building which would in their eventual fate and there was some dis- be a monument to Franklin, and which would cussion of the value of maintaining them. In also provide for the Library and for other activi- response, a special Committee on the Library ties of the Society. The donors agreed almost recommended in 1941 that the Library should be without exception to the proposal. Of the funds maintained and that a separate building should thus made available, $215,476 was later (1948- be provided for it. These recommendations were 49) spent on removing the third floor of Philo- approved by the Society. sophical Hall in order to restore the original In view of the decision to erect a separate appearance of that building. By 1958, neverthe- library building, Dr. Lingelbach and others pro- less, nearly $1,000,000 was at hand in the posed that the Society reconstruct in modified Building Fund. form-on the original site-the old Library Hall The Society's resources for a future building of the Library Company. Such a reconstruction had also been increased by a bequest in 1935 of would not only be architecturally appropriate, but the residuary estate of Walter Wood, consisting would be conveniently located on the Mall directly of about $150,000 in cash and securities and a across Fifth Street from Philosophical Hall. The substantial amount of real estate. This bequest, proposal was approved by the Society in 1951, known as the Wood Memorial Fund, was given providing that the use of the land were authorized in memory of his uncle, George B. Wood, his by the Federal Government. brothers, Richard and Stuart Wood, and his The drafting of a petition to this effect was left cousin, Horatio C. Wood-all of whom had been to the Committee on Library. At the suggestion members of the Society. The Wood Fund was of the Advisory Commission on the Independence to be used first for an adequate building, but any National Historical Park, the request was in- surplus could be expended for such other activities corporated in a bill known as H.R. 6544, 82nd as the Society might determine. In 1958 this Congress, 2nd Session, February 11, 1952.