Blackstone Library 125th Anniversary
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 17th century as a marble alternative, the use of scagliola had begun to decline by the 19th century, making our columns a later example of the technique.