Celebrate 70 Years of the Main Library 

Written by Brian Powers, Community Content Coordinator, Downtown Main Library

The Main Library’s 1955 opening at Eighth and Vine Streets in Downtown Cincinnati was a watershed event that generated national headlines in The New York Times, Life Magazine, Progressive Architecture, Popular Science, and Time Magazine.  

It was the first major central public library built in the U.S. after World War II and was a full departure from conventional library architecture. Its striking modern design featured extensive use of glass and stainless steel, along with gold-flecked Venetian tile, modern furniture, air conditioning, a reading garden, a drive-up book return window, a terrace with a reflecting pool, and sculpture by avant garde artist Harry Bertoia.  

Hear the behind-the-scenes story of the planning and designing of this landmark building on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the Downtown Main Library. The event marks the 70-year anniversary of its opening.  

In partnership with cf3, a non-profit organization that promotes Modernism architecture history in the Greater Cincinnati area, the Library will feature presenters Elizabeth Garber and Robert Vitz, who will speak on their fathers: Woodie Garber, the maverick architect, and Carl Vitz, the determined library director. Their collaboration made the longtime dream of a new library a reality.  

Their daunting task was to design and construct, on a limited budget, a building that would replace the former opera house structure that had served as the Main Library since 1874. While at one time considered “the most beautiful Library in the country,” the building suffered from poor ventilation, insufficient lighting, soot from coal furnaces, and repeated flooding in the basement.  

By the mid-20th century, the Library's collection of 1.5 million books had outgrown its space. Books were stacked three-deep on shelves, making them difficult to retrieve. The building had become too outdated to meet the needs of the growing city. 

After decades of failed effort to construct a new Main Library, the library board appointed Carl Vitz as the library director. Vitz had gained fame across the county as a designer of libraries, working on building projects in Cleveland, Baltimore, Toledo, and New York. With his experience, he developed his own concept of what features should be incorporated into a modern library.  

“The Library must be accessible just like a department store. We just distribute wisdom and knowledge instead of goods,” he stated in his first interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer.  

After winning the fight over the location of the new library, Vitz and the library board had to find a designer who could deliver a building on budget. The man chosen for the job was Woodie Garber, son of famed Frederick W. Garber, the architect behind many classically-designed Cincinnati buildings, including Walnut Hills High School, The Phoenix Club, Nippert Stadium, and Dixie Terminal. Woodie, however, took a more contemporary approach to architecture. He loved racing cars, fine wine, and cool jazz. He was the first architect in Cincinnati to embrace the International Style of architecture.  

The Downtown Main Library was his first major public commission. With Vitz, Woodie Garber created a building that emphasized open spaces, brightness, color, simplicity and flexibility. While satisfying the library needs of the people of Cincinnati and Hamilton County quickly and conveniently, The Downtown Main Library was also the most innovative library design of its time.  

This 70th anniversary celebration is a special after-hours event. The Downtown Main Library will close at 6 p.m. on Sept. 18, but those interested in attending can enter the library through its Vine Street entrance on the South Plaza between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served in the Huenefeld Tower Room on the third floor from 6 to 7 p.m. A small exhibit of Main Library images from 1955 will be on display. The presentation will begin at 7 p.m.