St. Louis Public Library

Photo by John Koniak, St. Louis Public Library Title: St. Louis Public Library logo celebrating 150th anniversary
Source: John Koniak, St. Louis Public Library

 St. Louis Public Library Extends Display of its Form & Function:  Selections From the Steedham Architectural Library Exhibit

The St. Louis Public Library is proud to announce that due to popular demand it has extended its Form & Function:  Selections From the Steedman Architectural Library exhibit through May.  On display during normal business hours (except Sundays) in Central Library's Great Hall, 1301 Olive Street, the exhibit features some of the most important and beautiful items from one of the Library's greatest assets -- the Steedman Architectural Library.  It affords the public a rare chance to view truly significant materials and learn more about them.  There are also opportunities to tour the Steedman Room.  The exhibit and tours are FREE and open to the public.

To augment the display of rare books and artifacts, the Library has created a 5.5-foot high and 85-foot long mural that wraps around the entire south wall of the Great Hall.  The mural features images and explanatory text from selected works from the Steedman Collection.

The Steedman Architectural Library was donated in 1928 by businessman and philanthropist George Fox Steedman, who had assembled a collection of some of the most influential architecture books ever published.  These included 16th-century editions of Vitruvius and Palladio, a complete set of the works of 18th-century engraver Piranesi, and early American architectural plan books.  The purpose of the gift was to make these great works available to local architects, thus inspiring them to design great buildings in St. Louis.

The special room that houses it, adjacent to the Fine Arts Room in Central Library, was designed to create the ambience of a British gentleman's library.  Through the years, the collection has grown to include materials more modern in nature, such as important works by and about Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, and works on contemporary architects such as Tadao Ando and Zaha Hadid.  Many are also stunning examples of the book arts with handsome bindings and exquisite illustrations.  Details and more than 400 images from the collection are available in the Library's Steedman Architectural Collection online exhibit.

For more information, call 314.539.0383.

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