The Detroit Public Library ─ An American Classic

The Detroit Public Library: An American Classic is directly based on the Discover the Wonders: An Art and Architectural Tour of the Detroit Public Library which opened in December 2013. The idea came from the people who took the tour: the public. Since the tour’s inception, over five thousand people have visited the library and have requested a book that exhibits the historic building and art. At one time, the Detroit Public Library ranked as one of the most beautiful buildings in Detroit and still remains an important landmark as well as a magnificent structure. As these photos reveal, the Detroit Public Library stands as an enduring symbol of the public library, the most democratic of institutions in America. The authors and photographers each volunteered their time and talent to capture the elements of its beauty, elegance, and power.

The Detroit Public Library came out of Cass Gilbert's vision for Detroit's Early Renaissance style library. This book honors his work with a chronological and photographic timeline of the conception and building of the 1921 Woodward Library, the 1963 addition, and the library as it is today. Within these transformative years, artists such as Mary Chase Perry Stratton, John Stephens Coppin, and Timothy Ufuomaefe Orikri and artists both local and national, are recorded with a short biography and their contribution to the library, along with photos of the rooms they decorated through murals, mosaics, painted windows, bronze works, architectural elements, and ornamentation. In preparing the book, the authors had two fundamental desires: to share the design of the main library using pictures of the past as well as images of the library today as seen through the eyes of Detroit’s modern photographers. The second was to share with the world the beauty and elegance of a grand building in a great city that, even through the most difficult times, has sustained one of the most magnificent neo-classical buildings in the country.

The Detroit Public Library bridges the often parallel interests of history buffs, art enthusiasts, library lovers, and Detroit locals with a tribute to the Detroit Public Library. A must-read for all those looking to learn about the artistic builders, the history, and the stories that live inside its walls.

As a native of Detroit, Barbara Madgy Cohn has a passion for art, Detroit, and libraries. She has worked as a registered nurse, has a B.A. in Art History, and has been a docent at the Detroit Institute of Arts since 2008. She is married, has two sons, and resides in Michigan.

Patrice Rafail Merritt has served as a professional librarian and library fundraiser for over 35 years. As executive director of the Detroit Public Library Friends Foundation, she supported and implemented the Discover the Wonders of the Detroit Public Library: An Art and Architectural Tour. She continues to serve as a docent for library tours.