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ANDERSON — It’s an oft-repeated story.
A grand old building is replaced by a newer structure. Since there’s no apparent use for the older building, it sits empty, gradually deteriorating. Inevitably, water or other damage occurs. More than one suggestion is made to tear it down.
That’s what happened to the old downtown Carnegie Library building. The city had received $50,000 in 1902 from industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to construct a library and the building was opened in 1905. Then the city moved its library to a more spacious facility at 12th and Main streets in 1987.
For nine years, the Carnegie building was vacant. Should it come down? That’s when the Anderson Fine Arts Center came into the picture, buying the building from the city. Two years and $2.5 million later, the old Carnegie Library building had become the new Anderson Fine Arts Center with its dedication in May 1998, now a decade ago. Most of the money was raised locally following a $425,000 grant from the Build Indiana Fund.
The building’s centerpiece is the 23-foot diameter stained glass dome rising 40 feet above the rotunda, only steps inside the red oak front doors. (Somewhere along the line, the doors had been replaced by glass and aluminum. The present doors are reproductions of the originals.)
The stained glass dome is best seen rather than described. Each part of the glass was removed, cleaned and reset during the restoration. Broken and damaged pieces were replaced by the same company that made the glass originally in the early 1900s, Kokomo Opalescent Glass — can you imagine this?
The round and square columns that encircle the rotunda have a marbleized finish, using a painting technique known as scagliola. When the building was being restored, workers were surprised to find these originally colored columns under blue vinyl wallpaper.
Water leaks had caused damage around the dome. Working on these repairs, the restoration team found the 1900s colors and molding under four layers of paint. On the domed ceiling of the entrance, gold leaf has been hand painted to replicate the original work.
Two galleries go left and right from the main entrance. The Redbud, to the right, and West galleries both are anchored by marble and white oak-trimmed fireplaces. The building was to be heated by these fireplaces and lighted by gas. Actually, according to the center’s records, Anderson switched plans and asked Carnegie for an additional $10,000 to pay for a coal-fired heating system and electricity. He refused, so funds were raised locally and the building opened with coal heating and electric lights.
The north end of the main floor, now termed the Grande Room, is also a gallery. It was the book storage area and, at one time, had a mezzanine for bookshelves. Now there’s a kitchenette and rest rooms along with a stairway and elevator to the Jackson Street entrance.
The lower level is used for children’s and adults’ arts classes and exhibits and also houses offices, restrooms, kitchen, storage and maintenance.
Next week: Maybe this is the Cubs’ year.
Earl Conn’s Traveling Indiana appears each Sunday in this newspaper. If you have a favorite Hoosier site you would like to see featured, contact him by
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or telephone him at (765) 289-2080.
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