Property Record
106 W 1ST ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | T. B. Scott Free Library (Thomas Blythe) |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Thomas Blythe Scott Free Library |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 21739 |
| Location (Address): | 106 W 1ST ST |
|---|---|
| County: | Lincoln |
| City: | Merrill |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1909 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | 1969 2001 |
| Survey Date: | 2006 |
| Historic Use: | library |
| Architectural Style: | Prairie School |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | CLAUDE & STARCK; Frye Gillan Molinaro-2001 |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Scott, T. B., Free Library |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | 1/21/1974 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. Photo code #2: 74D/2, 75D/8, JAS-7A/2-8, JMD 9/72 FUNDED BY LUMBER MAGNATE T.B. SCOTT & CARNEGIE LIBRARY FUND. SULLIVANESQUE TERRA COTTA CORNICE BAND. HIGH FOUNDATION. 1 STORY ENTRANCE PAVILION W/BRICK CNR PILASTERS & MOULDED CORNICE. 75 X 38 FT PLAN TO ORIGINAL SECTION. THE T.B. SCOTT FREE LIBRARY IS SIGNIFICANT AS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF PRAIRIE SCHOOL STYLE PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE, DESIGNED BY THE MADISON ARCHITECTURAL FIRM CLAUDE AND STARCK. IN 1886, THOMAS B. SCOTT, A SUCCESSFUL MERRILL BUSINESSMAN, LEFT $10,000 IN HIS ESTATE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A FREE LIBRARY IN MERRILL. ON MARCH 25, 1891, SCOTT'S GIFT TO THE COMMUNITY EMERGED AS THE T.B. SCOTT FREE LIBRARY. SEVERAL NORTHEAST ROOMS ON THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE CITY HALL SERVED AS THE LIBRARY'S HOME FOR EIGHTEEN YEARS, BUT THE NUMBER OF BOOKS AND PATRONS QUICKLY OUTGREW THE LIBRARY'S DESIGNATED SPACE. IN 1909 MERRILL CITY COUNCIL RECEIVED A $17,500.00 GRANT FROM ANDREW CARNEGIE TO CONSTRUCT A LIBRARY BUILDING. CHOSEN TO DESIGN THE BUILDING WAS THE ARCHITECTURAL FIRM OF LOUIS WARD CLAUDE AND EDWARD F. STARCK OF MADISON. JOHN ANDERS AND SON OF WAUSAU RECEIVED THE GENERAL CONTRACTING POSITION. THE BUILDING WAS COMPLETED ON JULY 5, 1911 AND LOCATED ON AN OLD LANDFILL SITE DONATED TO THE CITY IN 1902 BY A.H. STANGE. THE BUILDING'S ORNAMENTAL FRIEZE WAS ACQUIRED FROM THE ARCHITECTURAL DECORATING COMPANY OF CHICAGO. BOOK CIRCULATION INCREASED FROM 21,141 IN 1906 TO 40,922 IN 1924, AND THE LIBRARY HAD 434 RURAL BORROWERS THAT YEAR. As of 1998, a relocation or a rehabilitation of the library is being considered. [F]. Rear addition dating from 1969 was demolished when 2001 addition was constructed. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | (A) WI FREE LIBRARY COMMISSION "NEW TYPES OF SMALL LIBRARY BLDGS" (MADISON WI 1913). (B) ORR, GORDON D. JR. "PRAIRIE ARCHITECTURE IN MADISON" (UNPUB MA THESIS UW-MADISON 1971). (C) MERRILL LEADER 5/18/1994. (D) LEBAL, BEATRICE. "COMMUNITY CORNERSTONE, THE STORY OF THE T.B. SCOTT FREE LIBRARY." 1991. (E) MERRILL STAR ADVOCATE, 28 SEPTEMBER 1910. (F) 1998 phone conversation with Ellie Schwartz, computer coordinator of the Medford Public Library. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |