Congress Jefferson Building including the designers, construction and declaration. The u. S. Capital Historical Society hosted this event as part of their annual summer lecture series. It is about one hour. Quite a few more people expect you can see on the cover that we have this personal information on the lower right side. If you do not have a copy and would like one or if you would like another just send me a email. I will send you a copy. Ultimately you can get a copy whether you have wanted they are not. This is a mixed audience, i have no idea of your expertise. My expertise is this i am a docent at the library. I have become interested in the history of building the building. Interested in it because of the individuals involved. Big buildings need big egos. That is what we have here. There is no question about it. The fascinating psychological story, the historical story. I am going to go into these primary elements. I amu do not know this sorry i am repetitious but that is the way life is and the way it is going to be. I may very well discuss what i think is the most important part of the building and what i emphasize on my tumors is that the building is intentionally designed to be dramatic. Main thing about the building that i like. That is the historical development. When we talk about the history of the building, it will take about 1520 minutes. The decoration for about 20 minutes. Then you can ask questions. If you have any questions by all means ask. I may step on your toes in the midst of doing that. If you have anything you disagree with asked me questions. Tousa question i am likely never shut up. By all means as a question. Want you to look at the handout. We are going to go through it very quickly. The cover page is not interesting. I have these first few pages like a agenda. This will describe what i am going to do today. We are going to duck about the decoration of the building. I have also printed of several chronologies. As one of thehis most effective ways to study anything is chronology. Times we have to say things and we look at the chronology alone it will inform you of many of the things. The first analogy is that it is a 19th century building. I am going to spend time on this. You may notice a couple of things. London and the Capital Building are roughly contemporaneous. That is something very few people are aware of. Building in barcelona was started before the library of Congress Building. Then some of those buildings are on here. Many of the architects you talking about are on here. Top line aret american admissions to paris. First is in 1845 and it goes to the last. Only the last of the 19th century. These are significant american architects and you may find this interesting. One is used in chronology of the building. This is what i am going to be talking about today and large part today. Next chronology is a doublepage one. It is the relationship between two men. And youalk about them can refresh your memory and get the details later. See the lets next 46 pages are parts of the design we will talk about today. What you may find most at one points that when it became clear the library would need more space. Was to changeemes the front of the building to look like this. Thank god that did not happen. Another scheme was to add five stories to the building on the Capital Building. Think about that, they actually thought about doing that. They chose to build the library of Congress Building. There are a series of construction photographs that follow. I will mention i do not think i will say much about them except for this. This particular spread here, i want you to look at this and later on we will talk about it. Architectural concept drawing of the inside of the great hall. It was painted in 1888. In 1888 there was a hole in the ground. This is the architects conception. The way of is on the bottom is how it looks today. If you take that picture and you eliminate the colors look at the structure of the two buildings they are identical. There are two changes. Have thee is that you bullseye window along the top. Is that thee central arch has been dumped up. In 1892. Finally this is a error in my part these were supposed to be facing pages. This photograph and this photograph. That is because of my error. These are two library interiors. That is a brief introduction to your handout. Now lets get to the building. Current all, the library of Congress Building. I prefer to so call it the Congressional Library building. That was the original name of it and that is what people call it in 1980. It has only been the Jefferson Congress builte the madison building. Because of that change the library said we will call the old Congressional Library the Jefferson Building. The old Annex Building would become the adams building. The three buildings received their honorary names in 1890. That is a recent raid this was always the Congressional Library building. In 1870, a itself big day in 1870. In 1870 the copyright act passed. Under that everyone has to provide two copies to the Copyright Office which is located in the library of congress. What happens is that all of the books committed in. They come in and come in. Ultimately we talked about the old space and it was obvious it was not going to be nearly enough space. In 1870 the copyright act passes. Then a annual report the next year. In this report i am going to run out of space resume. 1872 they Start Talking about needing a new building. In 1872 he asked for the building that we have now. This is the first time he makes the actual request. In 1873 there is a design cap petition for a new building. Is won by competition a local firm called smith meyer and tells. Men, this is a it was a wedding in hell. If any of you are architects or pharmacists. You know the drill. Andh meyer is the rainmaker tells is the worker bee. This will never work out. Heth meyer is a lobbyist and is a intellectual. Design that has one of those variations. They submitted the design which is accepted. It is called a international competition. From was one submission overseas. In 1873. The design until 1886 they submit that it depends on how you count somewhere between 1013 designs on the building. Congress never pays additional money. What,eep saying you know why dont you get is a design that looks like this . That is what these variations are that you are seeing in your handout. This is what these are. When they will push up the front of the capital. Armser scheme was to have and closing it like the vatican. And 1886 the on the original design that none of them worked out. In 1886 Congress Said ok we are going to build the building. The first time they commit themselves but they commit themselves is pretty much the same thing that was revealed in 1870. This is the designer that remains in 1886. Smith meyer is hired as the architect and given the title of the architect of the Library Building. He hires his partner. That was quite a relationship. Basically he offers him his own as a draftsman. It is not going to work out. He reacted very negatively to that. In any event the two of them are architects until 1888. They did the basic drawing for the building. This is the basic building that exists today. This is the design. Between 19 1887 and 1888 there is a problem. There is a controversy of cement. Smith meyer is arrogant as i said. As i said a big building needs a big ego. Ansys ony arrogant and having a coach and horse. He alienated everyone. He alienated congress, he alienated his contractors. Everyone. Everyone hated him. The one thing that really got him on the wrong side of he accused ahat congressman of trying to assert undue influence on choosing the material for the building. That did not help. Then there was a cemented controversy. I will not go into it. He delays the construction of the foundation for six months. Congress goes crazy. They say we have to get this bill. We want to get this bill. Coincidentally at the same time the state war and maybe building currently the Eisenhower Office building is finished. That was built under the direction of Thomas Lincoln casey who was the head of the army corps of engineers. As well as lincoln Bernard Green. The state war and baby Building Construction ends and a immediately Bernard Green who had been working on this comes to work at the library of Congress Building. The Congressional Library building. He is a absolute genius. Bernard green is a construction genius. He can do anything. He does. He takes over the daytoday construction because smith meyer alienated everyone nothing was getting done. So green takes over the construction of the building. Smith meyer remains at the building until later in 1888 when Thomas Lincoln casey takes charge of the building. The army corps of engineers is placed in charge of the building. Immediately and teaches partner on. Of the reasons that this partnership did not work out is because smith meyer was the rainmaker. Drawingsis that the that were necessary had all been done by pals. They had to have him. They kept them on to finish the building. Firedy he is eventually in 1892 when the drawings are all done. The important thing is this. The Library Building that is built is actually his building. This is his building. It has the title of smith meyer because that is the partnership. All of the drives are his. Some of them have smith meyers. Ames on them the building starts to get billed in 1888. When Thomas Lincoln casey takes over. On until the end of the building. Until it is built. And theding itself construction is very simple. Design of the building is simply a rectangular space. Pavilions corners. Middle andn the roomsing on the year between them. A great hall. Along the outside of the building any number of sculptures. , decorations on the outside of the building are columns, all of the carbon on the building was done by local government covers. 50re was a crew of about carvers or 40 carvers. They worked on the building, they were granite carvings on the outside and marble carvings on the inside. Most of them were nameless carvers. Sculpting not so much. Carbon is important. This is the structure of the building. They built the building in until 18949 right up when the building closes. 1894 they have enough of the building closed in and that is when they start hiring the artist and sculptures. Is the way it gets built. Involved are fighting. In 1892. Ispute arises there was a dispute between the men who designed the building decorations of the inside of the building. The question is who designed the building . Who is the architect of the building . Is it going to conceptualize the building or is the architect the one who decorates the interior. That alwaysquestion motivates the trouble that happens from this point forward. Has a son,oln casey Edward Pierce casey. Casey he is the second son of Thomas Lincoln casey. As workers casey graduates from columbia with a degree in civil engineering. He gets a architectural degree from columbia university. He worked in new york. He works there until 1890 and from there he goes to paris. In paris he stays there for two years and returns an 1892. Working on thets library of congress. This is Thomas Lincoln casey. Now any questions . Any questions about any of this . Oh boy. The cement controversy is this. Instantyer took a dislike to one of his contractors and suppliers. He tested the cement and he would test it. He said it is no good. The contractor said my cement is good. There are thousands of cement tests for hours. Eventually they said use it. But ended the controversy alternately that was one of the reasons he was fired. Nothing . Ok, Thomas Lincoln casey is appointed the head of the army corps of engineers in 1888. He takes over the building and immediately he and Bernard Green it is like night and day. The bill that goes on right away from that point forward. In 1892 his son returns from aris. Working on the library of Congress Building. A declaration of the woodwork in the congressional reading room. It is a very small job. Eventually he gets more and more responsibility. He gets more and more of the decoration. Gradually he decides that he is the architect of the building. He identifies himself that way and publication. Other people identify him that way and publications. Have a engineer who is doing decorations. We have a architect who is doing he is aons and he says architect. This is published in 1895 and smith meyer goes ballistic. They go absolutely crazy. As you would expect. Tremendous, tremendous controversy. If you will look at your hand the very last pages. Page 38 of your handout. Aboves the plaque that is the central arch of the main reading room. I want you to look at the priority on the plaque. First of all, who is most important . Thomas Lincoln Casey. Do we see the architect . He did not even do anything. One misconception is of the army corps of engineers built the building. They had nothing to do with building the library of congress. Thomas Lincoln Casey was in charge. He trusted Bernard Green and said billed it. Building withthe civilian contractors and day laborers. That is who built building. Individual contractors. Who gets priority . Thomas Lincoln Casey. Then there is a line. Showing he is above all the others. Then her nurturing is next. It is his best friend. Who comes next . Smith meyer who was the the one who did all of the work on the architecture. You can see there is a problem with priority. Edward pierce casey was a architect. He did note of the architectural work at the library of congress. He is the one responsible for the decoration. This plaque was a huge amount of controversy. This isan think about serious stuff. It is very very important. That is not to take away from what Edward Pierce casey did. This is the important part and this is part of the problem. If you know people or if most of you have been to the building know this the library of Congress Building from the centuryit is a big 19th hall. It is uninspiring. It is this rectangular space with pavilions. That is it. Inside the building the whole thing opens up. From theremember library of Congress Building is the interior. That is his work. There is no doubt about that. Paintings, that is designed. Edward peers casey designed all of the ceilings. Those of you who have been on the first floor know about the family room and all of those rooms those are his design. Man whoned them with a made the cartoons and they sent them all to the venetian. They had been done by him conceptually. He also designed all of the floor mosaics on the second floor. Those of you but ive been up there know this. Effect was his. Elevator grill, and workers casey. The columns, that was him. This is all edward peers casey design work. Done by a different harassment in different shops but it is all his hindu work. All of that design work. Certain things have a certain priority with the various wings . I cannot answer the question directly. I can answer it indirectly. It may exist but nowhere have i mend documentation excuse the question was how did edward peers casey arrived at the decision to put these designs in specific locations. The answer to the question is i have no clue. Indirectly can think heated not do anything without the approval of his father. His father would not have done anything without this. Is three of them together the answer to the question. I say that because in a letter from the artist we have letters from the artist to Bernard Green. We have the ones that come back. You can tell that some of the artists are angry about where their stuff is being put and why they are doing this. Those people who know the no about a war of peace. Do one of land and sea. This is a agricultural scene. That is something he wanted to do. He had done war in peace in chicago. It was a big hit. Alexander the history of the book, he did not want to do that either. He wanted to do examples of elegant printing. He wanted to make elegant paintings. They would not let him do that. Ofre is a conceptual notion what is going where, but i cannot decide who decided what. How much oversight did congress have . Zero. This is one of the things. One of the things that happens is this. You can almost make this out. Congress is angry. Here is the thing. Casey is being appointed the head of the corps of engineers. What was the question . Committee work there is a quid pro quo when casey takes over casey takes over. Congress including all budgetary concerns. He decides everything. Side everyoln casey check. He signed every voucher. He did everything. Green it because bernard sent that to him. He knew he would send it signed it. He would go on vacation every year for about two months. ,e would go to New Hampshire every day or every other day casey. Green would write they would send him checks, congress had nothing to do with this. Congress was stunned to find out the extent of the sculptures going into the building. There was a inquiry into that. The answer was you go away. That was basically it. He took charge. He took charge but having his friend take charge. This carries read through to the end. Then green replaces them. They pass a resolution to replace them. This is a quid pro quo. He was so strong. Casey is appointed head of the army corps of engineers. Or three months later he is put in charge of the library of congress. He is given charge of that and the night before the bill passes a senator goes up