Central Public Library

MIDDLESBROUGH VICTORIA SQUARE, NZ 4920 SE east side. 9/91 Central Public Library. 18.3.74 - II Public library, 1909/12 by S.B. Russell and T.E. Cooper (London), under part patronage of Andrew Carnegie. Rear extension 1977. Red brick with sandstone ashlar plinth, parapet, towers and dressings. Renewed slate roof. Baroque style. One storey, with 2-storey end bays, and attic storey. Eleven bays, with wider and slightly-projecting 2nd and 10th bays, the latter with wrought iron 2-leaf gates enriched with wreaths and medallions, under overlight with lozenge-pattern glazing bars, in architrave. Entablature with applied metal lettering: "PUBLIC LIBRARY" in frieze, under 24-pane casement window in enriched architrave. Similar windows in 2nd bay. Paired giant Roman Ionic pilasters, rising from deep continuous plinth, flank doorway and windows and support continuous entablature. Short towers over 2nd and 10th bays each has window, with patterned glazing bars in broken-pedimented architrave, with urn and swag in tympanum. Middle bays have 24-pane hopper-light windows, in architraves under entablatures, set behind similar colonnade-in-antis. Balustraded parapet; straight parapets on towers. Right end bay has similar window. Narrow left end bay has round-headed doorway with similar gate. Both end bays have oculi in architraves on first floor. Mansard roof with flat-roofed dormers over middle and right end bays. 6-bay right returns. 2-storey rear extension in keeping. INTERIOR: entrance hall has marble wall cladding. Panelled double doors with glazed round top panels, under fanlights, in architraves with enriched escutcheons and flanked by pilasters. Continuous impost entablature with triglyphs and guttae. Ceiling has roundel with raised border of fruit and flowers. Marble imperial staircase has iron post-and-rail balustrade with medallions, moulded wood handrail and marble pedestal newels. Plaster panelled walls to staircase and landings. Similar doors, on first floor, in panelled surrounds, under broken pediments on fluted consoles, with enriched escutcheons in tympana. Bronze commemorative tablets on staircase landing. First-floor reference library has segmental-arched ceiling with square-panelled ribs between dormers. Heavily-moulded top entablature with pulvinated frieze. Oak panelled walls. Gallery,on 4 sides, projects at angles and sides to form 5 bays; supported on Roman Doric columns with continuous entablature. Iron post-and-rail fronts. Similar galleried reading room adjoining.

Listing NGR: NZ4963720166