LIBRARY NOTES
The fifth floor is one of the Library's greatest assets, a place for quiet writing and studying. Recent years, however, have seen a surge in usage of both the two private study rooms, available for reservation by members, and the Large Study Room, available on a first come-first served basis. What was once a haven for writers, students, and readers was becoming increasingly crowded. With the Library's expansion into the lightwell on the east side of the building, we were able to reconfigure the fifth floor to allow for an additional four private study rooms. We were also able to increase the seating capacity in the Hornblower Room. At present, there are seats for 30 people to work comfortably in this reconfigured space.
One of the private study rooms
photographed just before the reopening
of the fifth floor on November 1, 2010.
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The first users of the Hornblower Room
hard at work.
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Every detail of the newly furbished space was subjected to the scrutiny of the committee overseeing the renovations, from the strikingly dramatic black and white carpet to the Aeron chairs and the beautiful woodwork hand-crafted by Ian LaFemina. The entire floor, including the six study rooms, has wireless internet access. The response from Library members who regularly use the fifth floor has been overwhelmingly positive - from the moment the floor was reopened at 9 am on Monday, November 1, the Hornblower Room and all six of the private rooms have been in constant use.
Above: Two views of the newly renovated Hornblower Room.
As architect Jim Czajka noted, however, there are perhaps some ancient principles at work in this newly renovated space:
"The proportions of the room changed, but, as it turns out, in a very interesting way. The original room measured about 37'x18', which is a ratio of approximately of 2 to 1. The plan could be thought of as two adjacent squares. This would have made the practical Romans very happy indeed - so much of Roman architecture consists of basic geometric shapes symmetrically disposed. The new extended plan, however, measures 37' by 23', and the ratio is now about 1.6 to 1, which, as you fans of mathematics know, is very close to the golden ratio - that perfect proportion that repeats itself endlessly in either direction. It was first identified by the Greeks and used regularly in their architecture, sculpture, and music. The plan is now a golden rectangle. So when you're working in the Hornblower Room, if you happen to look up and notice a new quality of rightness in the space, a feeling of balance, a sense of the infinite, it's probably because you've turned a corner in your research, but it might be because you had been working in the Pantheon, and now you're working in the Parthenon."
Presiding over the Hornblower Room
is this 1867 statue of "Faith"
by Hiram Powers (1805-1873),
one of the treasures from the Goodhue Collection.
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