Are you in the mood for some measuring? We all know the Blackstone Library is a big building, but do you know just how big? Today’s 125^th Anniversary Fact is about our front steps, which are positively massive at 39 feet wide! That means you could fit 3 African Elephants on our front steps (about 13 feet long each), or a whole school bus (36 feet wide) with room to spare! Our stairs are even bigger than the noses on Mount Rushmore: Washington’s nose is only 21 feet long for example. You’d only need 4 of our staircases (lengthwise) to equal Niagara Falls (height wise) at 167 feet! The next time you’re at Blackstone, be sure to take a moment to pay some extra attention to our lovely front stairs–they’re an excellent addition to our building!

Greetings from Blackstone Library!

Did you know the Blackstone Library was once a popular topic for local postcards? Since it’s the end of vacation season here in New England and fall has officially arrived, we decided to feature one of our library postcards as today’s 125^th Anniversary Fact. This one reads “I wish you could have gone through this library – Aunt J.” The Library has an extensive collection of these postcards spanning almost a century. While the scenery, landscaping, and vehicles may change, the Blackstone is here to stay!

Today’s 125^th Anniversary fact was inspired by a visit from a former Blackstone Library Director! She stopped in recently to see our newly renovated space, and remarked on the absence of the old marble desk. This got us curious, so we did a bit of digging into our photo archives and found this shot of the Mezzanine area dominated by a truly massive marble desk! Why the need for such an imposing piece of furniture? Our best guess is that it’s because the Blackstone used to be a closed stacks library. Closed stacks are generally only found in libraries with rare or valuable collections or in archives these days, but it used to be the norm at Blackstone. If you wanted a book, the only way to get it was to ask the librarian directly and they would get the book from the stacks for you–no browsing allowed! The huge wall to wall desk prevented patrons from accessing the books directly, and the only way to peruse the collection was through the card catalog. We much prefer our current open stacks model, but we also wouldn’t mind the return of such an impressive work space!

As we’re sure you all know, the delight is in the details at the Blackstone Library! For today’s 125^th Anniversary fact, we’re sharing a detail so obscure that even most of the staff members were totally unaware it existed until the recent renovation brought it to light. It’s unlikely you’ve ever been on the stage of the auditorium, but if you ever were and happened to look up, you might have noticed a subtle sunburst detailed in the plaster ceiling highlighting the light fixture. When the ceiling was repainted during the final phases of the renovation, this little detail got a huge upgrade and is now a standout feature in gold. The next time you’re in the auditorium, be sure to look up–we’re sure you’ll have a new appreciation for all the craftsmanship that’s gone into the building past, present, and future!

Today’s 125^th anniversary fact is all about history in the making! 2021 marks the 125^th year the Blackstone Library has been serving the Branford community and to mark that momentous occasion we have some brand-new commemorative library cards available. The two designs feature different historic aspects of the building so you can carry a little piece of history in your pocket! One design features the murals on the library dome, but since we’ll be featuring the dome in future posts, today we’re letting the other design shine through! This card features a photo of the library while it was still under construction, specifically in October of 1894. You can see that most of the exterior has been completed, but the interior still has a long way to go! These photos were taken at the request of Probst Construction Company, the firm that built the library. They were taken by the Stoddard Studio right in New Haven, and for many of them we know the name of the actual photographer–Harry O. Andrews. You can see this picture, and many other library construction photos, on our online archive available on our website!

Tomorrow marks the 24^th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. She was an incredible person who was loved by many, and who is remembered today just as much for her humanitarian efforts as for being a member of the British Royal Family. Her life was so impactful even in our little corner of the world that we have a study carrel on the Mezzanine donated by a local couple and named in her honor. Princess Diana’s name may be the most famous one featured on a plaque in the building, but there are dozens of them throughout the library and many more featured in books throughout the collection. Each one represents a member of our community, and we’re proud to help carry on the memory of each and every one of them.

The nasty weather from the last few days has made us grateful for our very sturdy Blackstone Library! We thought you might be interested in learning a little bit abut the lovely marble columns that hold the building up no matter what the weather is doing. The Blackstone is full of columns, most notably in the Rotunda, Reading Room, and Mezzanine area. According to the architect Solon Spencer Beman, the swirl topped columns in the building were inspired by those at the Erechtheion–an ancient Greek temple on the Acropolis in Athens. But did you know some of these columns are hiding a well-kept secret? It’s easy to assume all the columns are made of marble, but those with gold painted tops are actually made of something called scagliola (don’t worry, we had to look it up too!). Scagliola is a type of fine plaster that is mixed with glue and dyes to imitate the appearance of marble and then polished to a shine. While it was popular in the 17^th century as a marble alternative, the use of scagliola had begun to decline by the 19^th century, making our columns a later example of the technique.