Grosse Pointe Public Library

Home , Christ Church Chapel, Defer Elementary School, Downtown Detroit, Grosse Pointe

NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018 expiration date 03/31/2022

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions.

1. Name of Property Historic name: _Grosse Pointe Central Library______Other names/site number: ______Name of related multiple property listing: _N/A______(Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing ______2. Location Street & number: _10 Kercheval Avenue______City or town: _Grosse Pointe Farms_ State: _MI______County: _Wayne_____ Not For Publication: Vicinity: ______3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property ___ meets ___ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: ___national ___statewide _X_ local Applicable National Register Criteria: ___A ___B _X_C ___D

Signature of certifyingDRAFT official/Title: Date ______State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria.

Signature of commenting official: Date

Title : State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government

______4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) ______

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action ______5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) Private:

Public – Local X

Public – State DRAFT Public – Federal

Category of Property (Check only one box.)

Building(s) X

District

Site

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State

Structure

Object

Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count) Contributing Noncontributing ______1______0______buildings

______0______0______sites

______0______0______structures

______0______0______objects

______1______0______Total

Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register _N/A______6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) _EDUCATION/Library______DRAFT ______

Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) _ EDUCATION/Library______

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State

______7. Description

Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) _Modern Movement______

Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) Principal exterior materials of the property: _Brick, Concrete, Glass______

Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) ______Summary Paragraph

The Grosse Pointe Central Library, simply known as the Central Library is the main library for the Grosse Pointe Public Library. The Central Library, constructed in 1953, is the oldest of the three current libraries in the GPPL system and is located in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. The Grosse Pointe Public Library DRAFTSystem serves five cities known as “Pointes” as well as the city of Harper Woods. The terms “Grosse Pointe” or “The Pointes” are commonly used to describe the entire area. The modern, rectangular shaped, library sits on the corner of Kercheval Avenue and Fisher Road, on the north side of Grosse Pointe South High School, in a very pedestrian friendly, and tree-lined neighborhood. The front façade and north side of the library faces Kercheval Avenue. A one-way drive on the northeast corner of the property that takes you behind the library to a parking lot. The parking lot then exits out onto Fisher Road on the southwest side of the property between the library and athletic fields of Grosse Pointe High School South. The library’s simple material palette of red brick, concrete, and glass helps it blend into the surrounding context despite its modern form. The intersection where the library sits, is the transition point from single family residences, to more a commercial area in downtown Grosse Pointe Farms. The library’s raised front porch addresses the street corner at Fisher Road and Kercheval Avenue by showcasing a large Kipp Sculpture, flagpole, and a brick site wall that

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State guides pedestrians towards steps up to the main entrance or an outdoor sitting area at the street- level. Both the addition of the Kipp and the entrance drive / parking lot mark the only significant changes to the exterior of the property. The entrance drive and the parking lot were re-worked as changes were made to Grosse Pointe South High School’s athletic fields, which wrap the library’s property on the east and south. They also added in a handicap accessible ramp to the south entrance off the parking lot. Upon entering into the building from either entrance, the large, double height reading room that sits behind the large floor-to-ceiling glazing draws one’s attention immediately and it’s obvious, aesthetically and programmatically that this space is the nucleus that the rest of the building was created from.

______Narrative Description

Historical Photograph of the Kercheval Street side of Grosse Pointe Central Library, Designed by Marcel Breuer. Photograph courtesy of the Grosse Pointe Public Library. DRAFT Setting

Standing at the corner of Kercheval Avenue and Fisher Road, the modern, rectangular building form of the Central Library respectfully stands out from its surrounding tree-lined residential and small-scale commercial neighbors which follow more traditional architectural styles like Colonial and Tudor, which derive their character from ornamentation. However, even with its unadorned brick façade, the Central Library, keeps with the materials and scale that are common in the neighborhood now, and at the time of construction. Its compatible material palette combined with the large trees that hover over Kercheval Avenue and the front face of the building soften the rigidity of the boxy form and allow it to rest humbly on its prominent corner lot. Although the form of the building largely reads as a red brick mass, the front is also identified by a large expanse of floor-to-ceiling glass flanked by a separate punched opening in

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State the façade only large enough for the entrance doors. This large expanse of glass allows the passer by to see the activity inside the library and allows patrons on the inside to connect with the activity on the streetscape. On the north façade nearest to the corner, is a full two-story brick mass with only large pin-mounted letters identifying the building and a single concrete protrusion that juts out just far enough to house a wall wash light fixture. The foreground of this section of façade is pronounced by an elevated porch that serves as a gathering point for patrons on nice days. The porch is home to a bright red and blue Kipp Sculpture that anchors the center of the porch and captures one’s attention upon approach to the building. This corner of Kercheval Avenue and Fisher Road is an intersection that many Grosse Pointe residences interact with daily. Just south of the library on Fisher is Grosse Pointe South High School with an enrollment of over 1,600 students and Kercheval Avenue connects the small but vibrant town centers of Grosse Pointe Farms, and Grosse Pointe. Fisher Road is the border between the two cities. The Central Library along with the two-story Colonial style office and retail building across the street, marks the west edge of a small commercial strip that makes up the Grosse Pointe Farms town center. North and west of the library are several pedestrian friendly streets lined with single family residences.

Exterior

The Grosse Pointe Central Library is a two-story brick rectangular mass, with a flat roof, simple material palette, and stresses function over ornamentation. The use of the rectangle elements in both plan and on the façade was a driving element in the design. The structural system is constructed of reinforced cast concrete and is defined by a series of concrete frames that creates the two-story interior volume of the main reading room. The top girder of the concrete frames cant upward as they span from the interior of the volume to the exterior window wall. The exterior walls are cast-in-place concrete with a masonry veneer. The rest of the structural system is a simple concrete frame with reinforced concrete floor and roof systems. The concrete frames that define the two-story volume, on the north façade, are also the extents of a large floor to ceiling show-window that connects the courtyard and street to the interior. The large window is broken up by using offset, vertically oriented, rectangles that create a Mondrian effect. The main street entrance on the North side of the building is a simple recessed rectangle that creates an overhang by punching into the brick mass with metal framed, glass doors. The exterior light on the north façade protrudes fromDRAFT the building which illuminates the iconic “Grosse Pointe Public Library” pin-mounted wordmark.

The west street façade is the only elevation that makes it clear in the daytime that the building within has multiple levels. The lower level has an array of evenly spaced, vertically oriented, punched windows. The windows are painted white with metal frames, which is typical of all the windows on the entire building. The vertically oriented windows have concrete sills and are absent of moldings. The jamb brick returns are angled outward to allow more light into the window opening. The second floor is a horizontal strip of floor to ceiling glass doors and windows that is recessed from the face of the masonry and creates a covered terrace that is accessible from the administration offices and conference room.

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State The south and east façades have a series of window punches on the first and second levels of the building that match the detailing, sizing, and spacing of the windows on the lower level of the west façade. The window punches are intended to create some visual interest by offsetting the openings on the second floor from the openings on the first floor in a half running bond pattern. The openings on the east façade are all windows, but there are five windows on the second floor of the south façade that are infilled with mechanical louvers, as was the original intent. The east façade has an areaway that recesses down into the ground that exposes two openings with metal exhaust louvers that vent the boilers and mechanical equipment in the basement.

The south elevation has two entrance points accessed from the parking lot, and both are elevated from the parking lot by two feet. The public entrance on the south side mirrors the public entrance on the north side and is accessed from a concrete ramp. The ramp is not original to the building and replaced what originally was concrete steps. The ramp was installed to meet requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The south façade’s other entrance is used as an emergency exit from the Adult Reading Room onto a small raised flagstone porch. The raised porch has a bush-hammered concrete overhang with openings that resemble the punched window pattern on the West, South, and East facades of the building. The south façade also has a garage door that hides a loading dock and is used for the book mobile. The garage entrance is shielded from the public entrance by a pierced brick wall that mimics the same rectangular patterns used throughout the building.

The roof is a low-slope roof that is not visible from ground level. The roof coping is stainless steel. The roof system is composed of a built up coal tar and gravel roof system over a top layer of perlite, adhered with asphalt over multiple rigid foam insulation layers, adhered with asphalt to the structural concrete roof deck. The roof structure is a monolithic system of reinforced, cast- in place concrete.

Interior

The interior of the library has been kept in relatively original condition with some alterations, primarily due to the wear of the interior materials and the shifting needs of a library from its initial opening more than sixty years ago. The plan layout for the two-story building was clearly divided into two uses: the westernDRAFT third of the building was designed for use by the library staff and administration, while the other two-thirds of the building was designed for use by the public. While the use today does not mimic the original intent, the features that announce this intent are still present. Directly above the circulation desk, a second-floor balcony with an interior window is the divide from the staff space to the two-story volume of the main public space. The two- story reading room has floor to ceiling glass on the north side facing Kercheval Avenue. The floor finish of the reading room is currently carpet tiles, but was originally designed to be asphalt tile, but from original photographs appears to be polished concrete. On the south and east sides of the main reading room the second-floor spaces are separated by walls clad in original teak plywood panels (east wall) and the south wall is clad in white acoustical tiles that appear to have been painted over with white paint within the last ten years. On the south wall there is an original “pierced” teak screen that divides the branch staff space from the main reading room.

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State

Original photograph of Main Reading Room in 1954. Photograph courtesy of the Grosse Pointe Public Library.

It is approximately ten feet wide and eight feet high. Within the staff space there is an accordion door that was added when the space was converted to its current use to keep sound from travelling to and from the main reading area. Within the reading room there are two historically relevant pieces of art that were designed into the space and commissioned by the architect Marcel Breuer. Near the northwest corner a large mobile designed and created by Alexander Calder and on the northeast corner of the reading room a Kandinsky inspired tapestry, created by Aubusson Workshop in France, is mounted to the teak plywood backdrop. Both pieces are visible from the street and courtyard outside the library. The ceiling of the reading room has a built-up pattern of painted wood, light-surrounds that mimic the offset pattern used on the exterior facades. The lights have recently been updated to be LED fixtures, but the light- surrounds are original with some restorative repair completed as needed. DRAFT The original triangular circulation desk was replaced in 2013 with a rectangular desk in a similar location between the two main entrances to the building. The circulation desk is tucked underneath the second-floor balcony above. The wall behind the circulation desk is clad with brick, to match the exterior. The wall acts as a continuation of the recessed entryways and extends from the west wall of the north entrance to the west face of the south entrance, further reinforcing the datum that divides the public space from staff space. There is a built-in plywood and glass display case embedded into the brick wall near the south entrance that has been kept in its original form. On main floor, the children’s space which was renovated in 2016, connects to the south side of the general reading room. The current opening to the children’s room has a fish tank and a painted metal opening surround. The children’s area does not have the original, custom designed, light fixtures. These were altered when the Main Reading Room and Business Room lights were converted to LED fixtures in 2016. Other than the lights, the adult reading

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State room has stayed in relatively original condition. The room features a white brick fireplace and bluestone hearth with a teak plywood finished wall flanking both sides of the fireplace. Opposite the fireplace, is an original Herbert Matter photomontage design that was commissioned by W. Hawkins Ferry in 1955, titled The History of Writing. The photomontage is printed on wallcovering and covers the entire west wall of the Business Room. The flooring is now carpet but was originally asphalt tile. The program room, located on the southeast corner of the main level, was originally a stack room. The room has been modified with new technology for the use of presentations and meetings. The custom designed, utilitarian, painted metal, light fixtures and the white acoustic tile ceiling finish are both original to the building. The original asphalt floor tile was abated and replaced with new floor tile in 2016 along with the technology upgrade previously mentioned.

On the west side of the main floor, the staff space in the northwest corner has been kept original in finish other than the flooring. The adjacent room was converted into a computer lab with two study rooms, and a book sorting room. There are two stairways that lead up to the second floor. The stair on the east side of the building is a narrow single run stair and is constructed of cast-in place concrete walls with a plaster finish and concrete stair treads. It accesses two spaces on the second floor that are separated from the rest of the second level by a large mechanical chase. The two spaces function as staff storage rooms currently but appear to be unmodified in layout and finish. However, they have not been maintained to the same level as the rest of the library. Their original uses were publicly accessible Stack Rooms. Within the same footprint there is a stair run underneath that leads down to the boiler room in the basement. The singular stair is the only way to access these spaces. The stair on the west side of the building is an open switch back stair that leads to the staff and administration suite upstairs. The stairwell walls are concrete with a plaster finish, the treads, risers, and stringer trim are all black slate. The landing is dyed (or stained) bluestone pavers. The wood railing is mounted to thirty-six inches high, solid, plaster coated guardrail. At the top of the stairs is a wide corridor that leads to the administration area and the branch staff space. Within the corridor are two staff restrooms with small locker room areas within them. Along the west exterior wall there is a staff lounge, two offices, and a conference room that have access to the exterior balcony. The offices and the lounge were renovated in 2017 to look more like they were originally. The conference room, known as the “Friends Room,” is the most preserved room in the building and has been kept in great condition. It has a teak ceiling, white plaster walls withDRAFT cleanly designed wood and metal bookshelves, and a fireplace with a stained bluestone hearth.

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State

Original photograph of the "Friends Room" located on the second floor of the library. Photograph courtesy of the Grosse Pointe Public Library

Integrity

The Central Branch remains on its original site and visually displays its original design intent. The materials on the exterior remainDRAFT original. The library exterior has been well maintained and there have been no significant additions or subtractions that would affect the historical integrity. In 2013 the brick, portions of the flagstone pavers on the raised porch on the south elevation, and the masonry jambs and sill elements of the windows and doors around building that had been deteriorated by the elements were rehabilitated. On the interior, most of the materials within the main spaces remain original. The modifications of flooring material were done to improve acoustics within the large volume spaces and as a measure of asbestos abatement. Original furniture designed by and selected by Marcel Breuer have been largely replaced with pieces that represent similar style and design from the mid-twentieth century but have upholstery and features that function better in a modern library environment.

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State

______8. Statement of Significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.)

A. Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.

B. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.

X C. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction.

D. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

Criteria Considerations (Mark “x” in all the boxes that apply.)

A. Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes

B. Removed from its original location

C. A birthplace orDRAFT grave

D. A cemetery

E. A reconstructed building, object, or structure

F. A commemorative property

G. Less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State

Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions.) _Architecture______

Period of Significance _1953______

Significant Dates _1953______

Significant Person (Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.) _N/A______

Cultural Affiliation _N/A______DRAFT ______

Architect/Builder _Breuer, Marcel (architect)_ _Albert A. Albrecht Company (builder)_ _Mohrhardt, Charles (library planner)_

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State

Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of significance, applicable criteria, justification for the period of significance, and any applicable criteria considerations.)

The Grosse Pointe Central Library is significant at the local level of significance under Criterion C under the theme of Architecture. The library was designed between 1951 and 1953 by influential architecture and furniture designer, Marcel Breuer. The library was Breuer’s first commission in Michigan and one of only two buildings he designed in the state. Breuer came to the United States from Germany after spending about three years in London, England. He was invited by Walter Gropius to teach at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and at the same time joined with Gropius in a partnership that lasted about four years. The design of residences – both single-family and multi-family – predominates Breuer’s professional career in his first several years, roughly 1937 to 1951, in the United States. During this time Breuer designed several non-residential buildings. All but one, however, were not located in the United States. During this period, Breuer was commissioned for multiple projects by Arthur U. and Edith Ferry Hooper. Edith Ferry was the daughter of Dexter M. Ferry, prominent Detroit businessman and founder of the Ferry-Morse Seed Company. Edith Ferry also served on the committee that selected Breuer to design buildings and furniture for the Bryn Mawr Lower School and Elementary School. Breuer’s connection with Edith Ferry likely brought him in contact with Dexter M. Ferry Jr., then the chairman of the family’s seed company. In 1950, Breuer designed the Dexter M. Ferry Cooperative House, which was funded by Dexter M. Ferry Jr. That commission, as well as the work and advocacy of W. Hawkins Ferry, brother of Edith and Dexter Jr., likely resulted in the commission of Breuer to design a library for the Grosse Pointe communities. Breuer’s design reflects the general shift in American architecture, when modernism was preferred over traditional styles and marks a turning point in Breuer’s career from residential structures to the larger public and commercial commissions of his later career. The human scale of library can also be seen as an extension of Breuer’s earlier residential work translated into a prominent public building within a largely residential community. The building also stands as a contrast in a community that has historical preferred historical styles and forms. DRAFT

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State ______Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.)

Grosse Pointe Farms and its Historical Development

Located along the western shore of Lake St. Clair, Grosse Pointe Farms was incorporated as a village in 1893. The village was split off from what was then the village of Grosse Pointe by an act of the state legislature. In that sense, it was the second of five municipalities created from the old Grosse Pointe Township.1

The greater Grosse Pointe area was originally occupied by Native American tribes before being settled by French immigrant farmers in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. So named for its geographic size and its projection into Lake Saint Clair, the area was also known as Grand Marais, or Great Swamp. Early settlers drained the swamp and converted it to arable land. Access to the lake was vital for irrigation and transportation, so the land that was distributed to the immigrants that settled in the area in what are now referred to as “ribbon farms” – long, narrow plots of land sometimes stretching inland as far as one mile from their narrow frontage on the lake. The plot lines of some these early farms are still visible in Grosse Pointe street patterns (Walsh and Nowak 2014).

For many years, Grosse Pointe remained farmland, but eventually gave way to summer residences for wealthy Detroiters, who sought respite the city. The August 5, 1883, edition of the Detroit Free Press provided an account of these carefree summer days:

Speil’s orchestra is engaged to discourse music during the afternoon and evening each Saturday, on the grounds of some cottages. Lawn tennis and base ball are indulged in until the moon begins to reside above the lake, when the Salons Dansante are thrown open to visitors. Young and old intermingle, and for the time all business cares are thrown aside. The entertainment closes as 10 o’clock p. m. when the whistling of the fleet of yachts admonishes the Detroiters that they must return to the dusty city. DRAFT Thus, Grosse Pointe remained “Detroit’s delightful suburb” for a number of years until the streetcar, the automobile, and other advancements in transportation facilitated travel north from the city. By the middle 1920s, the growth in population and productive capacity, i.e. the numerous factories in the city, led many wealthy Detroiters to seek permanent residence outside the historical neighborhoods of Detroit’s prominent citizenry. The wealth generated by the numerous factories and businesses of the rapidly growing city enabled these individuals to construct permanent residences outside of the city.

1 Grosse Pointe was first established in 1879, Grosse Pointe Park was incorporated in 1907, Grosse Pointe Shores in 1911, The village of Lochmoor, to the west of Grosse Pointe Shores, was incorporated in 1927, and renamed Grosse Pointe Woods in 1950 when that municipality was reincorporated as a city.

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State As the population of the Grosse Pointe, broadly speaking, increased, so too did the need for recreation, schools, libraries, civic, and community spaces.

Public Libraries in the Grosse Pointes

In December 1928 the Wayne County Library opened library stations in a former confectionery store, in what is now Grosse Pointe Woods, and in the basement of a municipal building located in Grosse Pointe Park. In 1929 the Grosse Pointe Public Library was established by the school district, and a branch was opened in the Grosse Pointe Farms Municipal Building. From the time the Grosse Pointe Public Library was formed in 1929 and until 1953 the Grosse Pointe Public Library System functioned out of these types of spaces, moving often and evolving to meet the community’s needs. From 1939 to 2005 the Ewald Branch was located in Pierce Middle School. The current Ewald Branch, built in 2005, is located within the southernmost Pointe: Grosse Pointe Park. The newest branch is located in Grosse Pointe Woods, the most northern Pointe in the district. The Woods Branch was located in Parcells Middle School from 1953 until 2006, when the new branch was built. The Grosse Pointe Central Library built in 1953, with donations from Dexter M. Ferry Jr. and a bequest from Murray W. Sales, is the oldest library in the system (About - Grosse Pointe Public Library n.d.). The Central Library was the first building constructed by the library system specifically designed as a library. The design team for the Central Library was architect Marcel Breuer, the well-known modernist from New York City and library consultant, Charles Mohrhardt, associate director of Detroit libraries (Grosse Pointe News 1951). The Central Library has always created debate surrounding its modern design, even before it was built. The Ewald Branch and Woods Branch, both constructed later, and have a more traditional architectural style, with pitched roofs, and more intricate detailing that reflect their context; the traditional architectural style of the Grosse Pointes.

Planning and Designing the Grosse Pointe Public Library

Throughout 1951 and 1952 correspondence between Robert Orr, director of the library, W. Hawkins Ferry, and Breuer indicate a period of refinement and revision. The correspondence discusses various adjustments, from furnishings to outlets.

During this period Breuer’s projectDRAFT files (and early news reports) indicate the library was initially named the Ferry-Sales Central Library, but by the time the library opened in 1953, the name had changed to the Grosse Pointe Public Library.

In addition to his generous donation to match the cost of construction for the creation of the new Central Library, Dexter Ferry Jr. along with his family, were instrumental bringing in Marcel Breuer to be the architect. The connections between Marcel Breuer and the Ferry Family go back well before the Grosse Pointe Central Library was even an idea.

Dexter Ferry Jr.’s father Dexter Ferry started the very successful D. M. Ferry & Company seed company in Detroit, Michigan. Dexter Sr. started the family tradition of philanthropy and public service. Among many other ventures, he was an active politician serving on the Michigan House of Representatives and State Board of Education, founded a hospital and was a trustee and

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State primary benefactor of the Detroit Institute of Arts (Bentley Historical Library - University of Michigan 1995). Dexter Ferry Jr. and his wife had four children: Dexter, Edith, Jean, and William Hawkins. Their youngest son, W. Hawkins attended Harvard University where he studied architecture under Marcel Breuer from 1937 until 1939, but ultimately finished his degree in art and art history. W. Hawkins time studying under Breuer, along with their shared love for art, had left a positive impression on him. He relayed his enthusiasm and his respect for Breuer to his family. In 1948, Edith Hooper (Ferry) and her husband hired Breuer to renovate and design an addition to their house in Baltimore, Maryland, (Syracuse University Libraries 2019). Later, between 1950 and 1951, Dexter M. Ferry Jr. provided money to Vasser College, in Poughkeepsie, New York, where his two sisters, niece, and daughter Edith had studied, to build a cooperative dormitory.

Dexter Jr, W. Hawkins, along with Edith and her husband Arthur, commissioned Breuer to design the building, which made no attempt to “blend with its ancient neighbors,” but instead sought “create something felt, not merely seen” (Architectural Record Jan. 1952). The Dexter M. Ferry Cooperative House (Ferry House) was the first International, or Modernist, building on the campus of Vasser College, which, like many other college and universities at that time was predominated by Collegiate Gothic buildings.

In addition to the immediate Ferry family, Ferry Jr’s niece Blanchette Ferry Rockefeller was a supporter of Breuer’s and an advocate for Modernist architecture. Rockefeller headed the Vassar College Trustee Building Committee and was a founder of the Museum of Modern Art, where in 1949, Breuer’s MoMA exhibition “House in the Museum Garden” gained him recognition and helped accelerate his career (Vassar Historian 2005). Additionally, the Ferry House Cooperative Dormitory was cited for an excellence in design award by the Museum of Modern Art which became a steppingstone for Breuer’s place in the history of American architecture (Vassar Historian 2005).

While the Vassar Ferry House project was ongoing, Breuer’s letters to both Edith and W. Hawkins discussing the project and the planned furnishings often mentioned the status of the Grosse Pointe Public Library Project – which was worked on simultaneously. Their letters also indicate that their families often visited each other’s homes when they were traveling nearby. In a letter from W. Hawkins to BreuerDRAFT he mentions that he and Edith reviewed the preliminary plans for the Grosse Pointe library together with their father, and when Breuer is to present his model and plans for the Central Library to the Grosse Pointe Board of Education that he should plan to stay with them (Ferry, Letter 1951).

It can be observed that the Ferry family had developed trust in Breuer from their previous experiences working together. They also appear to have shared a belief in the social responsibility of creating high quality art and design made accessible to the public.

Grosse Pointe Central Library Furnishings and Art

Breuer’s talents as a furniture designer, who created the first tubular steel chair, as an architect “who helped define mid-century American modernism,” and as furnishing designer propelled by

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State his Bauhaus training were all on display in his completed vision for the Central Library (Syracuse University Libraries 2020). Recognized as a gifted furnishing designer, Breuer was commissioned by Walter Gropius to design the furnishings and the interiors when the Bauhaus moved to Dessau in 1925. He also did the furnishing and designed custom pieces for his residential projects. In completing the design and furnishing for the Grosse Pointe Central Library, he designed original furniture pieces for the space with teak wood frames and teak tops to make sure the warmth is present at all scales within the space. Breuer also carefully selected other furniture pieces and accompanying upholstery from Herman Miller, Knoll Associates, Thonet, and Jens Risom. While none of the original furniture remains the new shelving and furniture have similar wood tones and forms to the originals.

During his time at the Bauhaus, Harvard, and in New York City, Breuer developed relationships with other masters of their craft that he commissioned to help complete his design and furnishings for the Central Library. The marquee object is an Alexander Calder mobile designed specifically for the library, valued currently at over ten million dollars. Breuer also wanted a tapestry based on a modern painting to hang on the east wall of the Main Reading Room and commissioned a tapestry based on a Wassily Kandinsky painting entitled “Sur Fond Noir.” Kandinsky was one of the leading artists in the development of abstract painting and was an instructor and peer of Breuer’s at the Bauhaus, from 1922 to 1932. Breuer also envisioned a vertical sculpture on the exterior that would help compliment the building form and add character to the north facade. In 1953, “Icarus” a bronze sculpture by David Hare, was anchored onto the exterior brick. Icarus was later taken down and replaced in 1981, by “A Salute to Knowledge” by Lyman Kipp. It is a vertical, abstract, steel sculpture with slim, blue vertical members joined by red steel planes near the top of the piece. The sculpture remains anchored into the north plaza. The last major piece of Breuer’s grand vision was a large photo-mural on the west wall of the Adult Reading Room. While Breuer, is said to have had a hand in selecting Herbert Matter for the mural, W. Hawkins Ferry commissioned him in 1955. The photomontage piece was, entitled “The History of Writing” as Ferry thought it appropriate to have art depicting the development of written word in the library. Herbert Matter was a Swiss born photographer and graphic designer who combined his talents to create large photomurals. Matter’s History of Writing illustrates a combination of communication symbols and shows the evolution of writing from 12,000 B.C. It includes elements of Greek, Roman, Hebrew, Arabic, Sanskrit, Egyptian, and Chinese through to the typefaceDRAFT of the Gutenberg Bible (Corrado 2009). This Herbert Matter piece is believed to be his only work not housed in a museum or archive.

Architectural Context and Significance of the Grosse Pointe Central Library

The Grosse Pointe area and the shores of Lake St. Claire, prior to being five different cities, were a destination for upper middle class to the ultra-wealthy to vacation and build their homes away from the busyness of downtown Detroit. Up until the early 1950s the homes, mansions, and public buildings of these communities favored classical design. Colonial, Georgian Colonial, and English Tudor styles being some of the most prominent. When the Grosse Pointe Central Library was being planned members of the school board were reluctant of the new modern style being proposed by Breuer and the Ferry Family. In letters written back and forth between Breuer and W. Hawkins, Breuer thanked Hawkins for his initiative and confidence in him, “even though

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State there are members of the Board who, at the moment, have the idea of building a similar architecture to that of the adjacent high school.” (Breuer to W. Hawkins Ferry 1951). Once the building was complete the new library was “greeted with enthusiasm” as an estimated three thousand community members showed up for an opening ceremony on a Sunday afternoon in frigid January weather.

The Grosse Pointe Central Library is among the few houses of Modern design listed in the National Register in the Grosse Pointe communities, none of which, to date, illustrate the International style as expressed by architects trained at the Bauhaus. The Kessler House (NHRP 2013) and W. Hawkins Ferry House (NHRP 2019) were designed by prominent Michigan architect William Kessler, and the Charles J. and Ingrid V. (Frendberg) Koebel House (NRHP 2009) was designed by Eliel Saarinen, Eero Saarinen, and J. Robert F. Swanson express the particular Modernist vocabulary of their architects. Several other notable works of Modern design are located in the Grosse Pointes but have not been listed in the National Register. Among these are the McLucas House, designed by Alexander Girard, the Parcells House, constructed in 1970 and designed Paul Rudolph, a student of Breuer, and several residences,2 a church, and an addition to the Detroit University School and Grosse Pointe Country Day School designed by Minoru Yamasaki.

The Grosse Pointe communities also have a number of historically significant buildings that were built between 1910 and 1930 in classical architectural styles and that are more typical of the area. Several of these buildings have been listed in the National Register, including: the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House (Gaukler Point) in 1979; the Russell A. Alger Jr. House (the War Memorial) in 1982; the William B. and Mary Chase Stratton House in 1984 the Academy of the Sacred Heart in 1987; Christ Church Chapel, Grosse Pointe High School, and Grosse Pointe Memorial Church in 1993; Saint Paul Catholic Church and Pere Gabriel Richard Elementary School in 1994; Defer Elementary School in 2001; the Carl E. and Alice Candler Schmidt House and the John T. Woodhouse House in 2005; and most recently the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in 2015.

Marcel Breuer

As a student, teacher, and a practicingDRAFT architect Breuer was a leader and highly influential figure in the Bauhaus movement and is considered a master in the fields of architecture and furniture design. In 1968 the American Institute of Architect’s awarded Breuer the AIA Gold Medal, their highest award, in recognition of a significant body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture (The American Institute of Architects 2020). Breuer studied under Walter Gropius at the Bauhaus art school, which garnered an international reputation for its teaching methods and for its integration of design, craft, and industrial arts into one all-encompassing vision.

2 Some of these residences were designed during a brief partnership with Alexander Girard. Some of these houses have been demolished. As of this writing, a full accounting has not been conducted. Yamasaki’s personal residence, in Bloomfield Township, is listed in the National Register.

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State One of the guiding principles of the Bauhaus states, there is to be no border between artist and craftsman. In a pamphlet for an exhibition in 1919, Gropius stated that his goal was to create a new guild of craftsman, without class distinctions which raise an arrogant border between craftsman and artist (Bayer 1938). As a student of the Bauhaus, Breuer became that new guild of craftsman. He was first taught to familiarize himself with traditional building techniques before exploring the modern and industrial techniques, with an eye towards improvement and expanding the capabilities of the current building technologies. He was taught to exercise the design philosophy of “function over ornamentation” and that building materials should reflect the true nature of objects and buildings. These influences are integral to the design of the Grosse Pointe Central Library.

In 1925, while at the Bauhaus, Breuer invented the first chair built of chromium plated tubular steel and he is responsible for creating several pieces that were landmarks in the evolution of furniture design. It this time in the carpentry shop that helped lay the groundwork for his understanding for the basic elements of construction. In his work on the Central Library, Breuer designed several custom furnishings of note: the V-Shaped Charging Desk, a record-playing table, several light fixtures, and other tables within the space.

After Breuer’s time at the Bauhaus he and Gropius became colleagues teaching at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. At his time teaching at Harvard he taught and mentored many other famous architects and designers; Phillip Johnson, I.M Pei, Paul Rudolph, and Lawrence Halprin. He also taught W. Hawkins Ferry who became an ambassador for Breuer. W. Hawkins convinced his father, Dexter Ferry, who was the main donor and namesake for the library, to commission Breuer for the task of designing a new library.

The Grosse Pointe Central Library is a significant idealization of Bauhaus Principles or “Gemsamtkunstwerk” (total work of art) brought to existence by Marcel Breuer (Weston 2004). In a talk given by Hawkins Ferry shortly after the library was opened, he described the design of the library and working with Breuer as such:

The ideas and planning of many people went into the realization of this building, but its final form as we see it today is the creation of the architect, Marcel Breuer. He visualized the buildingDRAFT not as a mere repository of books but as a social, cultural, and civic crystallization point. Literature and art were to be made more accessible in an inviting home-like atmosphere. Art which has so long been relegated to museums would assume its rightful position in the pattern of our daily lives as it has done in past epochs. The building would be a synthesis of architecture, furnishings, and fine art. In addition to designing the building, Breuer also furnished it and laid out a plan for embellishing it with works of art. No one could have been better qualified to do this job. As one of the leading architects of our times, he has figured prominently in the main current of twentieth century artistic development. (Ferry, Talk Given by Hawkins Ferry on Art Objects in the Central Library 1954)

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State In addition to teaching together at Harvard, Breuer and Gropius started an architectural practice together in 1938. from 1938 to 1941 he practiced with Gropius in Cambridge, Massachusetts and designed dozens of residences mostly on the east coast. Their Bauhaus principles fused with New England regional aspects of wood-frame construction greatly influenced domestic architecture throughout the United States. (Britannica 2020)

Breuer felt that each building should advance the state of building technology. “As far as I’m concerned, this experimentation is the controlling factor in the most disciplined work – or it should be.” (Cranston 1964) As such, the Central Library should be viewed as a project that marks a transition point in Breuer’s career. It was one of his first non-residential projects, and it was the first library project of his career. Once Breuer went out to start his own practice he continued with residences, where he is recognized at an international level for his association with progressive trends in modern domestic lifestyle and modern residential architecture in the mid-twentieth century. There are several key design features that can be seen in Breuer’s residential work that influenced his work on Grosse Pointe Central Library. In 1945, Breuer’s residences began featuring what he called “binuclear design,” or an H-Shaped plan, which featured a separation of sleeping areas and kitchen living room, into two distinct “wings” usually joined by an entrance feature or a hyphen element. The Central Library’s plan resembles that same H-Shape organization, with one wing for staff (private), the other wing for public space, and both are joined by a restriction in space both vertically and horizontally by the recessed entrances and the second-floor balcony. Breuer’s philosophy on siting his residential designs also translates to the Central Library where rather than integrating with nature the building is placed so that it intercepts nature. The natural daylight and desirable views of the landscaped plaza pours into the large windows on the north side of the main reading room. In the Central Library, like his residences and furniture work, he continued innovating and experimenting with structural systems, and their inherent aesthetic opportunities - both form and material.

Breuer began to use concrete prominently on the projects he was working on simultaneously and after the Central Library Project. Among Breuer’s notable projects in this period are the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Headquarters in Paris, France (1958); Saint John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota (1961); Saint Francis De Sales Church, Norton Shores, Michigan (1966); the Whitney Museum of American Art (Met Breuer), New York City (1966); the UnitedDRAFT States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC (1968); and the Armstrong Rubber Building (Pirelli Tire Building), New Haven, Connecticut (1970). The series of exposed reinforced concrete ‘frames’ act as an exoskeleton for the main reading room, while helping to create a perfectly scaled canvas for the rooms material palette. This structural system is a prominent example of Breuer’s drive for structural innovation and Bauhaus influence. The Grosse Pointe Central Library also has a reinforced concrete, cantilevered sunshade on the south façade that mimics the personality of the sunshades on the Breuer-designed Robeck House in New Canaan, Connecticut, completed in 1948, where Breuer experimented with steel cables to give the illusion of cantilevered wood.

Despite Breuer’s Bauhaus influence, he believed that modern architecture should not look machine made, but should have a warmth and comfort to it, and take on elements within its context, which gives his buildings a domestic feel. The layer of domesticity comes from the

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State materials, not only on the interior but the exterior as well. Because brick is the prominent material used in the surrounding residential context of the library, the red brick was chosen as the material for exterior to have that familiar residential feel. Breuer, like his residences, used fieldstone generously as the ground material at the entrances and porch elements. These fieldstone areas were carried to the interior at entrances, at the landings of stairs, and at the hearth areas in front of the two fireplaces, as to signal a spot for gathering. This fieldstone, which is a stained bluestone, is a technique Breuer used to mimic slate to save on cost but still provide the domestic feel of his residences. He used this technique in several of his commercial projects, including the Ferry House at Vassar College, and the Whitney Museum in New York City.

Breuer’s use of teak wood paneling and other wood elements throughout the building provide a warmth and coziness to the space. He also used wood in places like railings and furniture where it is natural for people to touch. The presence of the warm wood in the Grosse Pointe Central Library is especially noticeable at night or on a cloudy day when the glow of sunshine is not flooding in the windows. The use of wood, usually teak, was another signature element of Breuer’s that he used throughout his career even in the buildings that are recognized as more brutalist, like the Met Breuer and Atlanta’s Central Library.

Subsequent History

The recent history of Grosse Pointe Central Library can be pointed to as being a galvanization point of advocacy and education for the design community, in the state of Michigan, and nationally. In the closing remarks of a speech by W. Hawkins Ferry at the opening of the branch, he stated, “When the scheme is finally completed, Grosse Pointe will have firsthand contact not only with the best examples of world literature, but with the best examples of modern architecture, furnishings, and fine arts in the world” (Ferry, Talk Given by Hawkins Ferry on Art Objects in the Central Library 1954). Yet, in 2007, it was determined that Grosse Pointe Central Library no longer met the needs of the community and the board decided to demolish the building in favor of building a larger Central Library. However, on the website Archinect, Brian Buchalski, a designer from Ann Arbor Michigan, posted this announcement on the discussion page of Archinect.com: “for those of you interested in the work of [Marcel Breuer] I just found out that Grosse Pointe is considering the demolition of his modest & unpretentiously modern central library building.” (PlewkeDRAFT 2007)

Buchalski provided several pictures of the Grosse Pointe Central Library, both old pictures from the time of its opening and contemporary ones. He linked to an article arguing the merits of the library building by writer John Gallagher of the Detroit Free Press . He also encouraged anyone interested in saving the building to contact the library board. This created an outpouring of support and hundreds of letters showed up advocating their support for saving the building. These letters of protest were patiently and considerately answered by the president of the libraries' Board of Trustees, Laura Bartell (Plewke 2007). This groundswell of international support put into motion a few different efforts that proved helpful in saving the building. A world-wide charrette hosted by MAPA (modern architecture protection agency) that set out to show there were many different solutions to preserving, reusing, and repurposing the current

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State building. The charrette was put on display at the Grosse Pointe Ewald Branch for the community to observe.

The World Monuments Fund described the library this way:

The library was one of a group of modern sites included on the 2008 World Monuments Watch as “Main Street Modern.” The listing was to encourage alternatives to demolition and to build on local and international advocacy efforts to preserve them. This listing was also intended to call attention to the at-risk modernist buildings that characterize the civic architecture of post-war America. Inclusion of Grosse Pointe Public Library on the Watch helped empower the advocacy efforts that were underway to save the building. Additionally, WMF and Knoll, through the Modernism at Risk initiative, offered a grant to research and document the library, and to use the information to adapt and expand the original building. Responding in part to the grant incentive, the library opted for an expansion design rather than demolition.

When the 2008 economic downturn put the expansion on hold, conservation of the existing building, and its notable art collection, became the focus of the Grosse Pointe Library Foundation’s efforts. The library’s art collection includes the mural The History of Writing by Herbert Matter, a noted graphic designer with Knoll for 20 years. The collection also includes a mobile by Alexander Calder, a tapestry [inspired] by Wassily Kandinsky, and an exterior sculpture by Lyman Kipp.

Between 2013 and 2016 funds contributed by the WMF grant, originally intended for expansion, were redirected to helping restore the Matter wallcovering mural, the Kipp Sculpture, the Calder Mobile, the Kandinsky inspired tapestry, and the exterior masonry. A protective film was also installed on the large floor to ceiling windows in the reading room to help safeguard the art collection (World Monuments Fund n.d.). In 2013 the Grosse Pointe Public Library and the Grosse Point Library Foundation Fund to “preserve and maintain the art and architectural integrity of the Central Library” (Grosse Pointe Public Library 2013), and to educate the community on the integrated approachDRAFT to modernism design. The goals of the Breuer Preservation Fund are to have a period-appropriate restoration of the Central Library, maintain the art collection and significant architectural features, and develop education and advocacy initiatives focused on the Bauhaus movement, modern art, and modern design. (Grosse Pointe Public Library 2013). In 2016 the Central Library completed an interior rehabilitation and renovation to revive some of the long overdue issues that detracted from the usefulness of the building for contemporary needs. These changes resulted in new carpeting, energy-efficient LED lighting, updated technology, and new furniture pieces that were selected to match original intent – some of the manufacturers of the original furniture.

The proposed demolition of the Grosse Pointe Central Library in 2007 and the international concern that was expressed led to the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) initiating the Michigan Modern project. That project, funded in part by a Preserve America grant

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State from the National Park Service, began in 2009 and resulted in the SHPO “identifying the state’s modern architects and designers and their work, establishing Michigan’s rightful place in the history of Modernism, and rebranding Michigan through its outstanding design heritage” (Arnold 2020).

The project has resulted in multiple exhibitions and symposia, the publication of multiple books, notably Michigan Modern: Design that Shaped America in 2016, lectures in cities across the country, the identification and designation of Modern local historic districts, and many properties, both individual buildings and historic districts, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State ______9. Major Bibliographical References

Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.)

n.d. About - Grosse Pointe Public Library. Accessed November 2019. https://grossepointelibrary.org/about. Arnold, Amy L. Michigan Statewide Historic Preservation Plan: 2020-2025 (Lansing, Mich.: State Historic Preservation Office, 2019). Arnold, Amy L., and Brian D. Conway. 2016. Michigan Modern, Design That Shaped America. Gibbs Smith. Bentley Historical Library - University of Michigan. 1995. Ferry Family (Dexter Ferry) papers. Accessed April 2020. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhlead/umich-bhl- 90118?view=text. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. 2020. "Marcel Breuer - Hungarian Architect." Encyclopedia Britannica. May 17. Accessed June 2020. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marcel-Breuer. Breuer to W. Hawkins Ferry, 1951 March 12, Marcel Breuer Digital Archive - Letters, Syracuse University Libraries, Image ID 17648-001, https://breuer.syr.edu/xtf/view?docId=mets/22046.mets.xml;query=FERRY;brand=breue r Corrado, Laney. 2009. Grosse Pointe: Arts and Architecture. Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, May 20. Ferry, W. Hawkins. 1951. "Letter." Marcel Breuer Digital Archive. May 09. Accessed February 2020. https://breuer.syr.edu/xtf/view?docId=mets/22047.mets.xml;query=;brand=breuer. —. 1954. "Talk Given by Hawkins Ferry on Art Objects in the Central Library." Talk Given by Hawkins Ferry on Art Objects in the Central Library. n.d. Grosse Pointe Historical Society. Accessed June 14, 2020. http://www.gphistorical.org/league04.html. Grosse Pointe News. 1951. Ask Permit To Construct New Library. Grosse Pointe, Michigan, July 12. DRAFT Grosse Pointe Public Library. 2013. Breuer Preservation Fund. Grosse Pointe Farms. 2020. National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan. June 13. Accessed June 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Wayne_ County,_Michigan. Plewke, Aaron. 2007. Virtual Activism. March 27. Accessed June 2020. https://archinect.com/features/article/54565. Syracuse University Libraries. 2020. About the Archives. Accessed May 2020. https://breuer.syr.edu/page-about.php. —. 2019. Hooper House I. Accessed February 2020. https://breuer.syr.edu/project.php?id=314.

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State The American Institute of Architects. 2020. Gold Medal - Past Recipients. https://www.aia.org/awards/7046-gold-medal. Vassar Historian. 2005. Ferry House. Accessed Feburary 2020. http://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/buildings-grounds/buildings/ferry-house.html. Weston, Richard. 2004. Key Buildings of the Twentieth Century. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. World Monuments Fund. n.d. Grosse Pointe Public Library. Accessed 2019. https://www.wmf.org/project/grosse-pointe-public-library.

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Previous documentation on file (NPS):

____ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested ____ previously listed in the National Register ____ previously determined eligible by the National Register ____ designated a National Historic Landmark ____ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #______recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # ______recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey # ______

Primary location of additional data: ____ State Historic Preservation Office ____ Other State agency ____ Federal agency ____ Local government ____ University ____ Other Name of repository: ______

Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): ______DRAFT

______10. Geographical Data

Acreage of Property ______

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State

Use either the UTM system or latitude/longitude coordinates

Latitude/Longitude Coordinates Datum if other than WGS84:______(enter coordinates to 6 decimal places) 1. Latitude: 42.393802 Longitude: -82.905512

2. Latitude: Longitude:

3. Latitude: Longitude:

4. Latitude: Longitude:

Or UTM References Datum (indicated on USGS map):

NAD 1927 or NAD 1983

1. Zone: Easting: Northing:

2. Zone: Easting: Northing:

3. Zone: Easting: Northing:

4. Zone: Easting : Northing:

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Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.)

The Grosse Pointe Central Library is situated at the northwest corner of a nearly twenty-four acre parcel that contains Grosse Pointe South High School and related facilities and athletic fields. The boundaries of the library property are defined by the northern lot line of the larger parcel, between the western lot line parcel and the eastern edge of a driveway that runs along the east of the library from the northern lot line, past an access drive to a baseball field and parking lot related to the high school, and converges into a parking lot related to the library at

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State to the south of the library. The southern boundary of the library property extends to a retaining wall that encloses the aforementioned library parking lot.

Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.)

The boundaries contain the building and land historically associated with the library.

______11. Form Prepared By

name/title: _Kyle Keaffaber, Registered Architect ______organization: _krM Architecture______street & number: _4444 2nd Avenue______city or town: _Detroit______state: _Michigan____ zip code: _48201______e-mail: [email protected] ______telephone: _(260) 350-7337______date: _December 28, 2020______

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Additional Documentation

Submit the following items with the completed form:

• Maps: A USGS map or equivalent (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location.

• Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Key all photographs to this map.

• Additional items: (CheckDRAFT with the SHPO, TPO, or FPO for any additional items.)

Photographs

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 1600x1200 pixels (minimum), 3000x2000 preferred, at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs to the sketch map. Each photograph must be numbered and that number must correspond to the photograph number on the photo log. For simplicity, the name of the photographer, photo date, etc. may be listed once on the photograph log and doesn’t need to be labeled on every photograph.

Photo Log

Name of Property: The Grosse Pointe Central Library City or Vicinity: Grosse Pointe Farms, MI County: Wayne State: MI Photographer: Kyle Schwind Date Photographed: October 2018; October 2019

Photograph 1 of 19 North Side Exterior – Glazing and Masonry Close Up. Facing East MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0001

Photograph 2 of 19 North Side Exterior – View into the reading room. Facing South East MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0002 Photographer: Kyle Keaffaber Date Photographed: October 2018

Photograph 3 of 19 North East Exterior Corner. Facing South West MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0003 Photographer: Kyle Keaffaber Date Photographed: October 2019

Photograph 4 of 19 South Facade Exterior. FacingDRAFT North West MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0004

Photograph 5 of 19 South Facade Exterior – Adult Reading Room Entry. Facing North West MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0005

Photograph 6 of 19 South Facade Exterior – Adult Reading Room Entry Porch. Facing West MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0006

Photograph 7 of 19 West Façade Exterior – South West Corner. Facing Northeast

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0007

Photograph 8 of 19 North West Corner Exterior – Raised Patio and Kipp Sculpture. Facing Northeast MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0008

Photograph 9 of 19 North West Corner Exterior – Raised Patio and Kipp Sculpture. Facing Southeast MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0009

Photograph 10 of 19 North Entry Exterior – Raised Patio and Facade. Facing Southeast MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0010

Photograph 11 of 19 Interior of Main Reading Room – Calder Mobile Near Window Wall. Facing West MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0011

Photograph 12 of 19 Interior of Main Reading Room – Calder Mobile and Ceiling Detail. Facing Northwest MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0012

Photograph 13 of 19 Interior of Quiet Reading Room – Brick Fireplace and Teak Plywood. Facing Southeast MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0013

Photograph 14 of 19 Interior of Quiet Reading Room – Herbert Matter Wallcovering Mural. Facing West MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0014

Photograph 15 of 19 Interior of Administration Office No.1– Custom Light fixture, Original Ceiling, and Exterior Balcony. Facing SouthwestDRAFT MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0015

Photograph 16 of 19 Interior of Administration Conference Room – Teak Ceiling, Teak Shelving and Exterior Balcony. Facing West MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0016

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Grosse Pointe Central Library Wayne County, MI Name of Property County and State

Photograph 17 of 19 Interior of Administration Conference Room – Flagstone Hearth and Fireplace. Facing East MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0017

Photograph 18 of 19 Interior of Main Reading Room – “Pierced” Teak Screen and Original Wall Panels. Facing Southeast MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0018

Photograph 19 of 19 Interior of Main Reading Room – Teak Wood Wall, “Sur Fond Noir” -Kandinsky Inspired Tapestry, Ceiling and Lighting Pattern Detail. Facing East MI_Wayne County_The Grosse Pointe Central Library_0019

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