Cornell Library, Ithaca, New York
Given the name of the place I made the mistaken assumption that this was the library at Cornell University. By the time I figured out the mistake I am afraid I had caused the good librarians at Cornell University no end of confusion. Anyway, this is the public library for Ithaca, NY, and was, indeed donated to the town by the very same Ezra Cornell who started the University.
Geoffrey Morse of the Tompkins County Public Library passes along the following:
...the building was constructed between 1864 and 1866 and demolished in 1960...the library was administered by the Cornell Public Library Association. After the building was sold to the First National Bank of Ithaca in 1960 and subsequently demolished the Library Association occupied temporary quarters until February of 1969. At this point the Cornell Library Association was disbanded and all of its assets turned over to Tompkins County....
Elaine Engst, archivist of Cornell University, provides this:
The illustration you have is a picture of the Cornell Public Library, not a university building (although it was used for some university functions in the first years of the university). The public library in Ithaca was endowed by Ezra Cornell as his first major philanthropy, before the creation of Cornell University. The building was designed by william Hodgins of Albany, and cost $61,676, including the land and the building. Besides the library which was built to hold 30,000 volumes, the building contained a public hall, offices and several stores. Cornell also provided $4000 for the purchase of books. The building was dedicated on December 20, 1866 and served as Ithaca' public library until it was demolished in the 1960s.
Tompkins County Public Library is operating in a 1967 building and trying to convince the voters that a new building is badly needed. The statistics they present certainly make the case.
As of 1875 the Cornell Library held 10,000 volumes, the university library had 39,000. The director of the PL was W.R. Humphrey, and Prof. Willard Fiske ran the university library.
