#nokomis library

[hclib]

Happy 50th Birthday, Nokomis Library!

This singularly beautiful building is the culmination of the vision and enterprise of many men and women of good will, but it came into existence primarily because it fulfilled the dreams of the citizens of Minneapolis and it is thus an expression of the desire for beauty and wisdom in the midst of our city.

-Statement enclosed in the Nokomis Library cornerstone

On November 24, 1968, Minneapolitans gathered for something they had not seen in 37 years--the dedication of a new branch library building. A new central library was completed in 1961, but the last neighborhood library built in Minneapolis had been Linden Hills in 1931.

The new Nokomis Library, designed by local architects Buetow and Associates, featured a reading loft, a meeting room to fit 100 people, and space for 30,000 books.  At the center of it all was “Wind and Water Chime,” a 16-foot-high sculpture by Macalester professor Donald Celender.  The sculpture, meant to imitate nearby Minnehaha Falls, was made of approximately 2,400 small brass, copper, and bronze rectangles strung on 600 yards of monofilament line. “Wind and Water Chime” was cleaned by art conservator Kristin Cheronis during a major library renovation in the 2000s and as of 2013, it is again delighting library visitors.

Photos and documents from the Hennepin County Library Organizational Records. See more photos of Hennepin County Libraries on Minnesota Reflections.

[bibliobiker]

Nokomis Community Library (3 of 41)

A bike ride down Minnehaha Creek, and around Lake Nokomis, just isn't complete without a pitt stop to cool down at the Nokomis Library. Reason #508 libraries rock, free AC. 

Teen nook

Donald Celender's "Wind and Water Chime" (1968) The bronze and copper installation was inspired by the nearby Minnehaha Falls. It streams 16 feet from the library's ceiling - quite stunning!

[hclib]

Donald Celender's "Wind and Water Chime" at Nokomis Library

Installed at Nokomis Library in 1968, the sculpture was inspired by local Minnehaha Falls. After some restoration work there is a ceremony welcoming it back to Nokomis Library on July 13.

The brass, bronze and copper sculpture was removed when the library closed for renovation in 2009. The sculpture was restored by art conservator Kristin Cheronis and reinstalled with a new bench surround at Nokomis Library in 2013. Restoration funded by: One Percent for Art .

Dr. Donald Celender, an art professor at Macalester College for 40 years, designed the sculpture.  Celender was a native of Pittsburg and died in 2005. It was paid for by the Airport Area Merchants Association.

Here is Celender's statement on the sculpture from November 1968:

The 16-foot-high piece was conceived as an ethereal, slightly active, varicolored composite of reflecting forms which would simulate nearby Minnehaha Falls as well as introduce a sense of subtle sound and motion in the library. At times the piece can be read as cascading water, at other times as forms moving slowly in space on several planar levels.

The piece is composed of approximately 4,000 component-parts. These include 2” x 2” and larger rectangles of brass and phosphorus bronze, each hand-shaped and strung on 600 yards of monofilament line. The piece is composed of three hexagon units to echo the hexagonal shape of the building. It is the only one of its kind in the world.

The color image is of Celender admiring his work at the library and some 1972 publicity photos of children reading that happen to have the sculpture in the background.

Here are some present day images.

[backspacekey]

"Swinging Crowd Greets Nokomis Library"

That was the headline for Minneapolis Star columnist  Barbara Flanagan's account of the Sept. 1968 grand opening of the Nokomis Library in Minneapolis--the first new branch library built in the city in 37 years.

That's just one tidbit from the talk I'm doing on the architectural history of Nokomis Library, on Thursday, Sept. 22, 6 p.m., 5100 34th Ave. S. The library reopened a few months ago after a major renovation. The event is presented in collaboration with the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians (MNSAH).

If you've read this far, you are probably dying to hear more from Barbara's column. Here you go:

The live ones were at the new Nokomis branch library this week. Wow, what a scene! I thought for an instant that every TV set in town had broken down.

When I navigated the obstacle course outside through bikes and barking dogs, I found the jumpingest bunch of book lovers in town. Most were under 13. And nobody was shushing them.