Have you ever looked up the steps to the entryway of the original 1896 Meekins Library building? Flanking the big oak door of the earliest entrance are two impressive, tapering 12-foot columns of the Ionic order which support the portico and are the focal point of the recessed entry. These two beautiful smooth, polished red Aberdeen granite columns were stipulated to be “Scotch” granite in the building specifications. The capitals are mostly unpolished red granite—only the raised spiral, scroll-like motif is polished. The very simple “egg and dart” oval detail of the column capitals is repeated around the edge of the door. The base of the columns is simple, with several layers. The architects, Putnam & Bayley, of Northampton designed Williamsburg’s Meekins Library with a classic simplicity and the Library remains an iconic presence in the center of town 125 years later. #throwbackthursday; #tbt
Posted to Facebook 7/8/2021
