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ST
•
.JOHN'S
CO LL EGE
E
T H
G R E
L I
F
E N
I
E
L D
B RARY
•
•
.JUNE t, t 996
FRONT
L AWN
8c
LIBRARY
PLAZA
ANNAPOLIS
MARYLAND
�yr
i flamed in recognition of the
generosity of Stewart Greenfield,
alumnus of the class of 195 3
and member of the Board of
Visitors and Governors, and his
wife, Constance Greenfield.
St. John's College is deeply
indebted to Mr. and Mrs.
Greenfield for their gift which
will benefit generations of
students, faculty and citizens
of Annapolis.
�0 GR AM
I :30-
2:00p.m.
Prelude
Carrollton Brass Quintet
2:00p.m.
Presentation of Colors
by the U.S. Naval Academy Color Guard
National Anthem
written by Francis Scott Key, Class of 1796
sung by Aaron Silverman, Class of 1996
COMMENTS
Christopher B. Nelson
President, St. John's College
Stewart Greenfield
Board of Visitors and Governors
Kathryn Kinzer
Head Librarian, St. John's College
Robert 0. Biern
President, the Friends of St. John's
The Honorable Alfred A. Hopkins
Mayor of Annapolis
Louis L. Goldstein
Maryland Comptroller of the Treasury
Elliott Zuckerman
Tutor Emeritus, St. John's College
Dedication of the St. John's College
Tercentenary Commemorative Postal
Card Issued by the U.S. Postal Service
Ribbon Cutting
2:45 - 4:00p.m.
Self-guided Tour of the Greenfield Library
Reception on the Library Plaza
�HIS TORY OF
TH E S T. JO
THE FIRST FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY IN THE UNITED STATES
he King William School was established in 1696 by an act of the
era! Assembly of Maryland for "Propagation of the Gospel and the
Bucation of the Youth of this Province in Good Letters and Manners."
Thomas Bray, named Commissary of Maryland in 1696, felt that the clergy in
Maryland could not hope to visit and instruct all members of rural colonial
parishes, and he hoped that the provision of parochial libraries might ease this
deficiency. The "Bray Libraries" were to be given into the care of the members
of the clergy for the use of the parishes. A £400 gift of Princess Ann of
Denmark, for whom Annapolis was named, enabled the purchase of 1,095
volumes for the Annapolitan Bray Library, the first of the provincial libraries.
Both the establishment of the King William School by the civil authorities
and the Bray Library by the Anglican Church indicate the need felt in the
colonies for education in philosophical and spiritual matters. * The first
volumes arrived in Annapolis in 1697, the last in 1700. After fires in the
buildings that housed the collection, the libra1y was moved to the King
William School in 1704. In 1720, the Bray Books were transferred to the new
state house, and sometime in the second half of the century they were
returned to the King William School. * When St. John's College
commenced in 1784, the masters and students of the old King William School
joined the inaugural procession, and the property and endowment of the early
school- including the Bray Books- were conveyed to the new college. * Since
this early beginning, the college collection has grown- sometimes vigorously,
sometimes hardly at all- reflecting the fortunes of education in the country at
large. Since its arrival on the St. John's College campus, the library has moved
to McDowell Hall, Humphreys,
Woodward Hall, Mellon,
Woodward Hall, and now,
some 90,000 volumes strong,
to the new library. The new
Greenfield Library assures us
that 300 years of liberal
education through books will
continue long into the
20th century.
�H N' S
COL L E G E L IBRARY
THE
HALL 0 F
RECORDS
New Life for an Historic Building
n 1934 St. John's College deeded a section on the southwest corner of
campus to the State of Maryland for $10. The State constructed the first
state archive depository in the nation, the Maryland Hall of Records, on this
site. The Hall of Records commemorates the 300th anniversary of the state's
founding in 1634 and has a finely detailed interior with symbols of Maryland
carved in raised wood panels. Laurence Hall Fowler, a noted Baltimore
architect, designed the building in a Georgian Revival style to complement
the 18th and 19th century architecture of the St. John's College campus. * In
1986 Matyland's state archives moved to a new building on Rowe Boulevard.
The Maryland Board of Public Works approved the sale of the Hall of Records
in 1993 and St. John's College formally acquired the building in 1994.
Renovations were completed in 1996, the 300th anniversary of the founding
of St. John's College as King William's School and of Dr. Bray's library, the
oldest free public library in the United States and the origin of the St. John's
College library.
LIBRARY
PLAZA
n the post at the entrance to the
brary is a plaque honoring the memory
of Richard Weigle, who served as
president of St. John's College from
1949 to 1980. It is not inaccurate to
state that the College might not be here
today were it not for the leadership and
efforts of Dr. Weigle.
�A R c H I T
T H E
s a student I remember sitting
ouse one spring day, and for a
ming about the future instead of
t
woul
past. I remember wondering if I
er return to St. John's to once again
reflect on the good, beauty, excellence and
E
questions became a driving metaphor.
* In all
I wanted the design of the new library to evoke
a sense of history and change. The timelessly
ordered classicism of the historic building was
to be intentionally contrasted with the
sweeping modernism of the new construction.
other forms. Maybe I would even repeat, 'o
If you would, an old order expanded by a new
anthropos agathos with more vigor. Little did I
one. Using many finely crafted materials and
imagine that I would be back again, spending
shapes the design creates a dialogue between
four years actually constmcting instead of
an architecture of the past with an architecture
contemplating a form for the great books. It is
of today. This contrast happens not only with
always a sca1y proposition to satisfy a
the addition, but equally where new
deserving client, but to also satisfy my
construction occurs within the building. It
extended academic family was an exhilarating
must be remembered that the massive interior
challenge to say the least. How to shape a
core of the Hall of Records was a six story
form that not only followed its function, but
warehouse completely unsuitable for modern
also a form that many Platonists wouldn't
open book stacks. Computers were to replace
frown upon, seemed at best, an impossible task
card catalogs while open access to books and
on a campus that never ever took anything at
relaxed reading were to prevail over an
face value. Needless to say, in designing the
enclosed vault.
library, I had plenty of what we architects call
building of contrasts, attempting to evoke
friendly user input.
* The shaping of the
library was a test of nerves far more demanding
* As it stands today, it is a
paradox while following three simple themes:
stillness, movement and nature. Stillness is
than rubbing the Archimedean stones together.
reflected in the enduring serenity of preserved
Not unlike the gods on their best of days,
classical architecture, movement is evoked by
mysterious forces were always at work making
the paths of the heavenly spheres, and earthly
the impossible possible, and not surprisingly
nalllre is as clear as the sunlight, gardens and
* Approaching the building the
some days, making the possible impossible.
rustic stone.
The building was shaped by many caretakers,
classical orders of the early Fowler design for
and students of Plotinus will be happy to know
the Maryland Hall of Records remain
that sometimes many efforts can become one.
deferential to the quad and its guardians,
* Through all this four year saga you might
McDowell, Woodward, Pinckney, and
ask what it is the architect did besides bounce
Humphries. The new library's timeless
between all these gods like a cue ball on
symmetry and handsome entry remain as
a
billiard table. As the Socratic midwife I set
delicate and inviting as a classic Loeb volume
about pursuing the toughest question a
in the hand. Maintaining a sense of timeless
Quixotic architect can face. What shape is
temples in their sacred landscape was essential.
going to shape the library that will shape the
Gazing across the preserved green sea I'm
future Johnnies? Further, would Eva Brann ever
constantly reminded of Melville's simple poem,
approve of my imagination? I contemplated, I
"Creek Architecture."
meditated, I cogitated, and I agitated. Fax me a
muse faster than a New York minute, I prayed.
Metaphors were rolling, tongues were wagging
and ink stained napkins were endlessly trailing
behind me.
* In all my questioning, and
Not magnitude, nor lavishness
But form, the site;
Note innovating willfulness
But reverence for the archetype.
more meetings than there arc bricks, the
* Entering the library, the past and the
concept for the library began to take shape. It
present are married in a light filled core.
seemed to me the library should celebrate the
Sunlight in all its Platonic and spiritual
spirit of one of St. John's greatest gifts, the art
metaphors as the great illuminator pervades
of the question. Questioning the timeless
every room in the libra1y. Reconstructing the
c
T
�'
s
p
E R s
p
E
c
T I v E
building from a closed stack vessel to an open
strove to keep our reverence for the classical
living room for the campus was accomplished
archetype alive. Thank you Annapolis Historic
by filling every room with natural light and
District Commission, Historic Annapolis, the
outdoor views. The atrium is the center and
Ma1yland Historic Tmst, and the American
the focus of the library. From the central lit
Institute of Architects. Thank you
core all directions in the library are clear.
commissioners and then you Donna, Jeff and
The search for knowledge is as endless as the
Donna.
stair that takes you there.
* Climbing up the
* Unquestionably, the utilitarian
needs were of utmost importance. They were
stairway one views a series of elliptical
unrelentingly guarded right down to the last
segments. These patterns echo throughout the
iota of the last page in the last volume on the
library celebrating the celestial patterns and
last shelf that could fit on a single fiber of
reminding us of the astronomical transitions
carpet. There are people who can actually
between Ptolemy, Copernicus and Kepler. The
count the number of angels on the head of a
classical interiors preserve the known rational
pin and know the answer. Thank you campus
geometry of the past and are intentionally
committees. Thank you Kitty, Vicki, Wally,
$ As sure as
contrasted with the expansive paths above us.
Eva, Howard, Anita, and Wendy.
These curvilinear shapes are a constant
the sun rose and set, the budget was and
reminder of the unknown, the irrational.
always will be limited. Provisioning the voyage
Knowing and not knowing are always present
and steering the ship through numerous
in the differing geometries of the libra1y. As
financial shoals took one cool-headed set of
well we shouldn't forget the guardian columns
captains. Without the gclt there would be no
holding their torcheres of light as the quiet
gilded libra1y. You've taken us to the new
bearers of the building.
$ To the side of the
world and back. T hank you donors and thank
* With pencils and
historic building, a garden wall politely
you Bud, Jeff, and Chris.
envelopes volumes and concepts to come. The
trowels, computers and concrete, an undaunted
addition is, on the one hand, a garden and, on
and uneclipsed team of designers and guilders
the other hand, an abstract modern building
sculpted reality through snow and committees
crafted in stone and steel. Its shape echoes the
and more snow and more committees. Oh, and
endless pathways of the skylight in the main
I don't want to forget to mention committee�.
stmcture as well as the never ending paths of
Thank you Doris, Cathy, Tony and John.
nature. While the skin of the addition
Thank you Maureen and thank Cod for Atlas
intentionally contrasts with its neighbor,
himself, Junior Hood.
respect and dialogue remain. Adopting the
read, think, dream, and occasionally doze in
* As h1ture Johnnies
stone walls of Humphries and saluting Neutra's
the Greenfield Library, I hope that somehow
modern vision with a phalanx of steel fins once
these shapes and metaphors will give them
again remind us of past and present. The new
pause to reflect and question. For architects
stone work invites touch while abstractly
and for all of us, the relationship between
framing the indigenous plantings. Both inside
architecture and thought is a never ending
and out one is always in a light filled garden.
pursuit. To paraphrase Winston Churchill,
The site is preserved and the submerged new
"first we shape our buildings and then, they
form is intended to be as grand and polite as its
predecessor.
* So there you have an
shape us." I hope that we have shaped a form
well, and that it will continue to shape us all
introduction to the shaping themes. As we all
equally as well. Having continued to be a part
know, however, a shape is shapeless without its
of St. John's has been a heart filled blessing for
shapers. "Who were these shapers and makers?",
me. Thank you all for yet another odyssey I
you might ask. Let me introduce them
* First,
won't long forget.
the existing building had its unspoken demands
and if you didn't hear them, there was a chorus
of historic preservationists eagerly chanting
detailed directives. These champions tirelessly
Travis L. Price TTl, ATA
Class of 197 ·I,
SF
�TH E GR E ENFI ELD LIBRARY
THE MAIN LEVEL
The Hall of Records Plaque.When St. John's College
acquired the Hall of Records from the State of Maryland, the
College agreed to retain the original dedication tablet in the
entryway in recognition of the State of Maryland's
longstanding support of St. John's College and the other
independent colleges of Maryland.
2
The Friends of St. John's College Room is named in honor of
the citizens and businesses in and around Annapolis who
contributed to the library project. In honor of the College's
tercentenary the Friends of St. John's College set a goal to
raise
$1
million to restore and preserve the splendid Georgian
Reception Room in the Hall of Records as an area for reading
and research. They raised almost
$2
million. The College was
deeply honored by this expression of support. In the next year
the names of all donors to the Friends Room will be lettered
above the chair rail, honoring in perpetuity a community's
ongoing commitment to one of its oldest institutions. To
THE MAIN LEVEL
insure accuracy of the lettering, the names are first presented
in booklet form in the Friends Room.
3
The Lillian Vanous Nutt Room recognizes the contributions
of an artist whose talents, kindness, and generosity are known
to many in the Annapolis community.
4
The Gallagher, Evelius
&
Jones Conference Room honors the
prestigious Baltimore law firm, and one of its senior partners
Rick Berndt, whose guidance and financial support helped to
make possible this project.
5
Alumni Donors to the Library. On a calligraphied and fTamed
scroll on the landing at the mid-point of the main staircase will
IJ
be the names of the alumni who contributed to the renovation
I I I I I EI
and construction of the Greenfield library. To insure accuracy
III
I
£±±""'
prior to preparation of the scroll, the names are first on display
in booklet form.
THE SECOND LEVEL
6
The Stephen and Julia Ford Reading Room stands as a
symbol of the good will and concern shown by neighbors of
St. John's College and the residents of Annapolis.
THE SECOND LEVEL
7
The William E. Brock Rare Books Room is a tribute to the
former Senator, U.S. Trade Representative, and U.S. Secretary
of Labor and his wife Sandra, a member of the Board of
Visitors and Governors, for their extraordinary generosity and
hard work on behalf of St. John's College.
�S T. J 0 N S C 0 LL E G E
H
'
8
The Stephen L.
Feinberg
Periodical Room honors the
Chairman of the Board of Visitors and Governors and
Honorary Fellow '?f the College whose leadership, generosity
and commitment have helped to secure St. John's College's
future.
9
The Joy and Bennett Shaver Reading Room
friends of the College, whose volunteer
is
named for two
efforts through
Caritas and the Friends of St. John's and whose many other
contributions have set an
exam ple
for the community.
THE THIRD LEVEL
I0
The Ray Cave
Floor celebrates the
from the class of
1948 to his
devotion of
this
alumnus
alma mater and expresses the
sincere appreciation of the St. John's College community for
his tireless leadership as Chairman of the Campaign for Our
THE THIRD LEVEL
Fourth Century.
I 1
The Dr. and Mrs. George Schoedinger Ill Reading Area
named to recognize the contributions and interest of the
parents of alumna Sarah Schoedinger, Class of
MECHANICAL
ROOM
THE UNDERGROUND LEVEL
1992.
is
�E CIAL THANKS
The College also expresses its appreciation to the following:
Governor William Donald Schaefer for his generosity in permitting the
College to acquire the old Hall of Records Building.
The City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and the
Historic District Commission of Annapolis whose cooperation
and support were vital to the project.
Travis Price, Doris Sung, and Cathy Cherry, from the firm Travis Price
Architects, Inc. for design, management and oversight of the project.
Henry L. Lewis Construction Company, Junior Hood and
Maureen Bands-Beckenholdt for their professionalism and precision.
John Gutting for his meticulous and sensitive landscape design.
Charles Wallace for coordinating the College buildings
and grounds operations with the construction schedules.
The St. John's College Campus Planning Committee for their careful
and valuable consultation on all design issues.
The Library staff, including head Librarian Kitty Kinzer,
Assistant Librarian Vicki Cone, and Walter Plourde for their expertise
during the planning phases and their thoughtful coordination
of the move into the Greenfield Library.
The students, faculty, staff and friends who, following tradition,
moved the books by hand from the old library to the
Greenfield library on May 6, 1996.
Desig11 by Zoe Pa11tclides Graphics
�-----·��-----�
/-
1996USPS
o-
7'
ynded
p
1 1696 as King William's School), the U.S. Postal Service is issuing
·
eci.ll postal card. The card's twenty cent stamp bears the image of
McDowell Hall.
McDowell Hall began as the grandiose dream house of
Maryland's colonial governor, Thomas Bladen, in 1742. Originally conceived
to have a central section with a wing on either side, the building soon proved
to be too expensive for the colony to complete. Roofless, its unfinished walls
exposed to the elements, the hulk which became known as Bladen's Folly sat
for more than 40 years before the site was given to a new college- St. John's
College- chartered in the new state of Maryland in 1784.
Reconstruction
of the building was completed in 1789, and the first students from King
William's School and the College moved in. The building served as dormitory,
library, dining hall, and classroom space until 1837 when a second College
building was constructed. McDowell Hall is named after John McDowell, the
first President of St. John's College. It is the third oldest academic building in
continuous use in the United States.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Playbills & Programs
Description
An account of the resource
Playbills and programs from various St. John's College events. Many of these items are from productions by The King William Players, the St. John's student theater troupe.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Playbills & Programs" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=20">Items in the Playbills & Programs Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
St. John's College Greenfield Library
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
playbillsprograms
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
paper
Page numeration
Number of pages in the original item.
11 pages
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Greenfield Library Dedication Ceremony Program
Description
An account of the resource
Program from the dedication of the Greenfield Library, held on June 01, 1996 at St. John's College in Annapolis, MD.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
St. John's College
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
St. John's College
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1996-06-01
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
St. John's College owns the rights to this publication.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
pdf
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Nelson, Christopher B.
Greenfield, Stewart H.
Kinzer, Kathryn
Biern, Robert O.
Hopkins, Alred A.
Goldstein, Louis L.
Zuckerman, Elliott
Relation
A related resource
<a title="Photograph of the Pre-ceremony" href="http://www.digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/show/104">Photograph of the pre-ceremony set up</a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LibraryDedicationCeremonyProgram1996June01
Greenfield Library
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