Dickey, Alfred E., Free Library
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| Dickey, Alfred E., Free Library | |
| Designer | Scherer, Henry J. (of Shannon & Scherer) |
| Location | Jamestown, North Dakota, USA |
| Date | 1917 |
| Building Type | Education |
| Construction System | Brick, Terra Cotta |
| Architectural Style | Prairie School |
| Street Address | 105 3rd St., SE |
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| National Register of Historic Places | |
| Name | Dickey, Alfred E., Free Library |
| ID Number | 80004545 |
| NRHP Status | Listed In The National Register |
| Certification Date | 07/03/1980 |
| Level of Significance | Local |
Architects Shannon & Scherer designed the Alfred E. Dickey Free Library, Jamestown, North Dakota, as a Carnegie-era public library with local funding. The plan is typical of the Carnegie library type: a central entry with reading rooms on either side, the library's main floor raised a half level above grade on a partial basement. Rather than relying on the more usual Classical Revival style prevalent in the region and nationally, however, designer Henry J. Scherer elected to blend the ornament of Louis Sullivan with Arts & Crafts interior woodwork and stained glass. The Sullivanesque ornament at Jamestown is unusual in that it has a vaguely Egyptian aspect, differentiating it from stock "Sullivanesque" terra cotta then being produced by such companies as American Terra Cotta and Midland Terra Cotta.
Henry John Scherer was born in Minneapolis and attended a short-lived course in architecture at St. John's University, Collegeville, MN. He joined in partnership with Joseph Shannon, a North Dakota architect based in Devils Lake; the partnership enabled them to maintain two offices--Devils Lake and Jamestown--with one of the partners in each. Scherer's work includes several buildings with terra cotta ornament in the style of Louis Sullivan.
The Jamestown library is a current focus of concern with regard to library expansion. Abandonment of the existing facility in favor of a new building elsewhere in the city leaves the Dickey building's preservation in doubt. Information on the building history can be found at the library website: http://www.adpl.org/.
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National Register of Historic Places
