Binghamton’s Carnegie Library nestles snugly in the shadows of city hall and the Security Mutual building on Exchange Street. Although no longer in use, the ‘old library’ (as the residents refer to it) stands as a reminder of Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropy, as well as the city’s former glory. The building’s architecture is entirely Classical, utilising Greek and Roman traditions to create an inviting exterior for the city’s library. The library’s Grecian influence is obvious at first glance, as four massive Ionic columns tower above the short flight of steps before the library’s door. These steps run perpendicular to the shallow porch behind the columns. While the portico offers some standing space, the axiality of the front steps encourages
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The most striking Greek detail is the limestone pediment, its tympanum sculpted in high relief to depict a book wreathed in leaves. These sculptures echo the famous pediments of the Athenian Parthenon, whose reliefs depict the birth and victory of the city’s patron goddess. In both instances, the reliefs rest beneath small acroterion. The swirling statues atop the Carnegie Library’s pediment continue the leaf motif expressed in the relief sculpture; the Parthenon’s acroterion have mostly been erase by time, but rise from the pediment at the same angle as the library’s. The entablature just below the pediment is inscribed- a particularly Roman practice. The most famous case comes from the Roman Pantheon, whose entablature claims that Marcus Agrippa created the building. The library’s inscription merely reads “BINGHAMTON PVBLIC LIBRARY,” which merely offers a descriptor of the building. The use of “V” in place “U” is also a reference to Roman inscriptions. Much as the Pantheon’s constructor Hadrian legitimized his rule by connecting himself to the legendary Marcus Agrippa with the entablature, the library inscription creates legitimacy by reminding viewers of the magnificence of Roman culture, implying the same magnificence will be found
The most striking Greek detail is the limestone pediment, its tympanum sculpted in high relief to depict a book wreathed in leaves. These sculptures echo the famous pediments of the Athenian Parthenon, whose reliefs depict the birth and victory of the city’s patron goddess. In both instances, the reliefs rest beneath small acroterion. The swirling statues atop the Carnegie Library’s pediment continue the leaf motif expressed in the relief sculpture; the Parthenon’s acroterion have mostly been erase by time, but rise from the pediment at the same angle as the library’s. The entablature just below the pediment is inscribed- a particularly Roman practice. The most famous case comes from the Roman Pantheon, whose entablature claims that Marcus Agrippa created the building. The library’s inscription merely reads “BINGHAMTON PVBLIC LIBRARY,” which merely offers a descriptor of the building. The use of “V” in place “U” is also a reference to Roman inscriptions. Much as the Pantheon’s constructor Hadrian legitimized his rule by connecting himself to the legendary Marcus Agrippa with the entablature, the library inscription creates legitimacy by reminding viewers of the magnificence of Roman culture, implying the same magnificence will be found