WHITRIDGE
ROOM
The Whitridge Room, on the third floor front, is open for reading and silent study.
Children and families may use this room for reading aloud weekday afternoons from 3 to 5.
Whitridge Room: Historic Photo
Historical Note:
Jacques Barzun: When I first joined, the chairman was Mr. Arnold Whitridge, the grandson of Matthew Arnold. He was a polished gentleman with a classical English education, who taught at Columbia. He was thus a colleague of mine, but I saw him there only casually. It was here I got to know him. His policy was Peace and Quiet, and his method was suavity. So smooth was the chairman that toward the end of his tenure, he would make all motions himself and after the briefest pause, wold say: "I'm sure we're all agreed about this. Please put down 'Unanimous Vote.'" All this lent a dreamy quality to the meetings, so that when one got out on 79th Street afterwards, one felt like someone who has just waked from a refreshing sleep.
From Library Notes 1995
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