Louisville Free Public Library

For the first time we stepped outside this week and felt that excruciating, life-draining sensation of an unbearably humid summer's day. Thanks to frequent rainfall (which I can hear gloriously pittering against the window pane right now!), it seems like we've been lucky this year. But still, that heavy heat resulted in us having a lazy weekend of hiding inside with only the air conditioning and television turned on.

I did brave the heat one day to check out Louisville's main library.

The library was built in 1906 with funding from Andrew Carnegie. It was one of the 3000 or so libraries he helped build across America as well as in other countries.

It's a beautiful structure that suited the city fine for a few decades. Then in 1969 a second building was added onto its backside.

Below is a picture of where the original Carnegie part (on the left) connects to the more recent addition (on the right). The joint is kind of hidden behind the greenery, but you can still see the stark difference in architectural styles.

Of course I entered through the original Carnegie entrance, beneath the large engraved letters "LIBRARY". I love that simple title. If a structure being built today were getting something engraved above its entrance, it probably would not be so short and direct. More words are engraved below each of its windows, teasing at the knowledge found within. I read "ARTS", "CRAFTS", "TECHNOLOGY", "SCIENCE", "PHILOLOGY". Having "CRAFTS" engraved cracked me up, and I had to look up what philology meant.

Its atrium is gorgeous, and perfectly matches the bold and clean feeling given off by the exterior. In case you didn't know, this weekend marks the release of a new book set in the magical world of Harry Potter. The library is filled with decorations celebrating this global book launch, and preparing for a party which will be held tomorrow night.

I can't wait to read J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series with our children. Who knows, maybe by the time our kids are going through school, it will be required reading. I'd be fine with that.

The newer part of the library has some delicious design too. Chunky wood and rectangles galore. I love the lights.

Overall it does feel a bit small. Their children's room is a fraction of the size of Columbia's Assembly Street branch. Most of the features seem like a scaled down version of Richland's main library for that matter. But I don't know much about the library system here overall, having only spent two hours inside one branch.

I walked up the stairs to the non-fiction floor where I took the picture below. It felt just as if I'd stepped back in time to 1969, with barely any cues of it being a different century.

I overheard some librarians talking about plans for renovations. Hopefully the people in charge are able to enhance the current buildings and also preserve their unique character.

Louisville's main public library is a beautiful treat to walk through, with its contrasting design styles both stunning in their own ways.

And on my short walk between car and library, I saw several old churches I'd love to have a peak inside. A few months back, I couldn't stop sharing pictures of food from restaurants in South Korea. These days it might be time for architecture overdose. Consider yourself warned.