Handley Library

Handley Library is a historic library building located at 100 West Piccadilly Street in Winchester, Virginia, United States. Completed in 1913, construction of the Beaux-Arts style building was funded by a wealthy Pennsylvania businessman. The building serves as the main branch for Winchester's library system, the Handley Regional Library System. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) in 1969.

Handley Library
Handley Library, September 2011
Handley Library is located in Virginia
Handley Library
Handley Library is located in the United States
Handley Library
Location100 West Piccadilly Street Winchester, Virginia
Coordinates39°11′12″N 78°10′0″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1913 (1913)
ArchitectJohn Stewart Barney
Henry Otis Chapman
Architectural styleBeaux Arts
NRHP reference No.69000364[1]
VLR No.138-0028
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 12, 1969
Designated VLRSeptember 9, 1969[2]

History

Judge John Handley (1835–1895), an Irish-American coal magnate and lawyer from Scranton, Pennsylvania, visited Winchester several times and admired the city for its Scotch-Irish heritage. In his will, he left $250,000 for the city to erect a library "for the free use of the people of the city of Winchester" and schools for the poor. Construction of the library, designed by New York architects Barney and Chapman, was not begun until 1908.[3][4] The cornerstone ceremony on May 26 was preceded by a large parade.[5] The building's fireproof construction and facilities were considered advanced at the time of completion.[4] The total cost of construction and furnishings was $233,230. The library opened on August 21, 1913, and originally featured a 300-seat lecture hall, study rooms and conference areas. C. Vernon Eddy was Handley's first librarian, serving in that position until 1960. Originally only white patrons were allowed to visit the library; in December 1953 city officials began allowing all residents to use the facility, regardless of race.[5]

The library was listed on the VLR on September 9, 1969, and the NRHP on November 12, 1969. It is also designated a contributing property to the Winchester Historic District, listed on the NRHP in 1980.[6] Architectural firm Smithey and Boynton of Roanoke designed an addition that was completed in 1979. Their work resulted in a first honor award from the American Institute of Architects.[5] Dennis Kowal Architects of Somerville, New Jersey prepared a full historic preservation plan in 1997 and oversaw the comprehensive restoration and rehabilitation in 1999. In 2001, Dennis Kowal was awarded the Lucille Lozier Award by Preservation of Historic Winchester, Inc. for the "outstanding restoration" of the Handley Regional Library.[7]

Architecture

The Handley Library is "perhaps Virginia's purest expression of the regal and florid Beaux-Arts classicism."[8] It was designed to resemble an open book, with the dome representing the spine and the wings representing the covers.[5] The limestone building consists of an octagonal base and a central dome. A three-arched entrance faces the intersection of Braddock and Piccadilly Streets. Two wings flank the dome and feature single-pitched roofs with dormer lights, balustrades and Ionic colonnades. Heavy stone reliefs of figures and fruit flank several windows and doors.[4]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  3. "Judge John Handley". Winchester Public Schools. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  4. Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (July 28, 1969). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  5. Parker, Kathryn (2006). Images of America: Winchester. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 49–52. ISBN 9780738543154. Archived from the original on 2016-04-18. Retrieved 2014-12-31.
  6. The Virginia Landmarks Register. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press. 1999. p. 179. ISBN 9780813918624. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  7. Ritchie, Patricia (2012). Handley Regional Library, the first one hundred years. Winchester, Virginia: Handley Regional Library. pp. 138, 167. ISBN 978-0-615-63645-0.
  8. "Handley Library". National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
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