Prairie School Architecture and

5 min readMay 20, 2015

Public Library Buildings

Prairie School style architecture was a reaction to the lack of architectural styles endemic to North American Western culture. It sought to do away with the vocabulary of classical architecture and make something new in the void [1]. The aesthetic was intended to echo the flat lands and prairie landscapes of the U.S. This was achieved partially through the use of elements such as roofs with a low-pitch, wide overhanging eaves, open floor plans, and a centralized chimney, meant to be the heart of the building. Other strong elements used in Prairie Style architecture includes multiple thin horizontal windows, abstract geometry for decorative elements, and the liberal use of natural wood and stone [2]. The Prairie Style was implemented, in general, by the architects Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, and their architecture students. Sullivan, in turn, was a student of Wright. The style was the most popular between the years of 1890–1920 [3].

A large number of public libraries were designed and built in the prairie style. This article will touch on some of these libraries.

Hoquiam Timberland Library

Designed by the firm of Claude & Starck from Madison, WI and built in 1911 in the city of Hoquiam, WA and largely funded by the Carnegie Foundation, the original building was renovated to suit modern needs in 1991 by Tonkin Hoyne Lokan architects. The library can by found at 420 7th Street, Hoquiam, WA 98550 [4, 5, 6].

Wysox Township Library

The Wysox Township Library used to be known as the Mary Fletcher Library after the deceased daughter of Jane Fletcher, the major donor for the building. It was built in Milledgeville, IL by Claude & Starck, in 1923. The Wysox Township Library lacks its own website but can be found at 18 West 5th Street, Milledgeville, IL 61051. Milledgeville, IL is a town of just over 1,000 people [8]. This low impact area has allowed for the preservation of the wide lawns and landscaping around the library, showing how the low-pitch roofs common to the Prairie Style echo their physical environment. It appears now much as it did when it was built at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Columbus Public Library

Another Claude & Starck building, the Columbus Public Library is also situated in the small town of Columbus, WI, this one slightly larger than Milledgeville at almost 5,000 people. Columbus only recently gained a small amount of notoriety when Johnny Depp paid a visit to film scenes for his movie, Public Enemies [10]. Columbus was chosen due to the location not only being historically accurate but for the interior of another gorgeous piece of Prairie Style architecture, The Farmers and Merchants Union Bank, designed by the mentor of Claude & Starck, Louis Sullivan [11].

The Columbus Public Library is situated to the side of the Farmers and Merchants Union Bank, adjacent the business district at 223 West James Street, Columbus, WI 53925. This building is a departure from the previous Claude & Starck work as it is designed to blend into the residential portion of Columbus, apart from the businesses on Main Street. Claude & Starck even include window flower boxes to aid in the transition. The Columbus Public Library was built in 1911 and maintains many of its original features, having only been updated to comply with the American with Disabilities Act [12].

Mary Smith Fay Genealogical Library

Departing from the work of the prolific firm of Claude & Starck, we visit the Carnegie Library Building of Carmi, IL, now known as the Mary Smith Fay Genealogical Library and found at 203 North Church Street, Carmi, IL 62821. This example of the Prairie Style was designed by Clifford Shopbell in 1914 [13]. Clifford Shopbell of Shopbell & Company began his career in Evansville, IN in 1897. Shopbell & Company was known as a very prolific builder of Carnegie libraries, having at least 15 to their credit [14]. Shopbell was only influenced by the masters of the Prairie Style, Wright and Sullivan, and this lack of direct transmission of knowledge is evident in the originality of the Mary Smith Fay Genealogical Library’s design.

Union Township Public Library

Designed by H.T. Liebert in 1915, Liebert was born in Berlin, Germany in 1877 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1884 [15]. The Union Township Library is a gorgeous specimen of the Prairie Style that can be found at 27 Main Street, Ripley, OH 45167, exhibiting the aforementioned geometric ornamentation around its entrance in a somewhat more lavish way as compared to the Sulliven-esque libraries of Claude & Starck. One stipulation of the original building was that it be built above the high water mark of a the Ohio River’s flood of 1913 [16, 17]. This stipulation resulted in a grand wide staircase leading up to an ornamental entrance flanked by wide windows, creating an impressive facade for this rural public library.

Exploration of Prairie School Libraries

This article owes a great deal to The Prairie School Traveler. The number of Prairie School style libraries identified by the site number 63 individual examples [18]. This article has the potential for quite a bit of expansion, but for now, these examples show the uniformity and diversity present in the Prairie School Style as it applies to the building of public libraries in the early 20th c.