Dearborn Public Library

Serpentine Wall / Reflecting Pool

Creator: Glen Michael

The Serpentine Wall rests in the rotunda’s circular reflecting pool. It measures 4 ft. in height by 4 ft. in length and 2 ft wide, and weighs approximately 600 pounds. The work is executed in brown-black ceramic tile, marble and shale and assembled with apertures that permits the viewer to see through it at certain points. Experimental tiles from Cranbrook, marble and shale from Lake Huron, it took the artist and four assistants three months to complete the sculpture. The reflecting pool consists of a concrete base that has an overlay of Verde Antique Marble.

The initial purpose in the creation of this three-dimensional sculpture was to offer a complementary piece to the Bas-Relief tile mural on the second floor.  The artist also envisioned this work as a study of the interplay of light and shadow as the viewer looks down upon the assemblage while descending the staircase.

Bas-Relief Mosaic Map of the Continental United States

Creator: Glen Michaels

The mural mosaic is 20 ft. wide by 8 ft. high and consists of 5 four ft. panels.  It is bas-relief in form and is constructed of individually mounted hand-cut Japanese tile.  The mural’s color theme spans 12 color graduations from black to white.  Included in the construction of the mural are printers’ wooden reglets and brass-coated nickel flashings taken from a foundry that not only mark the locations of Ford assembly plants, but serve as decorative embellishments to the design of the mural.  The concave curvature of the map is mirrored in the curved handrail that outlines the contour of the winding staircase that passes directly in front of the mural.

The artist did not intend his work to be an exact replica of the United States, but to instill a sense of rhythmic distortion throughout the piece to convey a feeling of movement and fluidity.  Contours of the sea as well as the land are in evidence.  The East Coast is rendered in the Intaglio (depressed) method first developed by the Egyptians while the West Coast is rendered in the Cameo (raised) method first implemented by the Italians.  The total effect creates a wave-like fluidity that pulsates through the entire work and does much to erase a sense of boundary between land and sea.

Hanging Wool Tapestry

Creator: Glen Michaels

Made of fine wool, the tapestry measures 20 ft. in length and combines all the colors (black, brown, gray and white) found in the Wall and Map creations. The “gobelin” technique was used in the weaving process to permit the intricate pattern of the original design to be executed in wool. The front of the collage tapestry follows the original design of the artist, while the back consists of fringe, with strands of wool changing from dark black-brown tones to increasingly lighter gray-white tones as it climbs toward the ceiling. The effect gives the tapestry an added feeling of height.

Although the Serpentine Wall/Reflecting Pool and Mosaic Map complemented one another in color, texture and design, the artist determined that the essential element of warmth was missing. A third work would become necessary to give his three-dimensional art project a sense of unity and completion. The Wool Tapestry emerged as the synthesizing element that would “tie the two pieces together visually” and “lend a certain warmth to the library”.

Punch and Judy

Creator: Glen Michaels

Commissioned by the Dearborn Library Commission and acquired in 1977 through a gift from the Ford Foundation. Characters are of polychrome bronze.

Two-Tiered Marble Fountain

Creator: Harley, Ellington, Cowin and Stirton, Inc.

The two-level fountain blends white Vermont marble with blue-green mosaic tiles. The lower basin measures 70 ft. square and serves as a receptacle for the overflow of water that cascades from the upper basin. From this upper level basin, a center jet of water spouts water to its high point of 33 ft. and is encircled by a 22 ft. diameter spray ring. Water is released through six separate jets in the upper level basin. These water jets are operated either separately or collectively in a programmed sequence. The effect is further enhanced at night by high-intensity lights of color that are sequenced to display all the colors in various combinations.

The architectural firm that designed the library edifice also designed the outdoor fountain. Foremost in the minds of the designers was to create a fountain that not only retained the integrity of the classic contemporary lines that gave definition to the structure of the library, but to create a work of architecture that became the library project’s visual exclamation point.

Life-Size Memorial Statue of Henry Ford

Creator: Marshall Fredericks

The slightly larger than life-size image of Henry Ford is made of a chemically-treated bronze and is mounted on a Vermont verde antique marble base in front of a backdrop screen made of the same material. The backdrop includes several inscriptions and four vignettes highlighting eventful moments in the life of Henry Ford. The four historical reliefs that depict events in Henry Ford’s life are: upper left, Childhood, lower left, Formative Years, upper right, The Ford Empire, and lower right, Ford Cars. Significant quotes on the back.

Marshall Fredericks chose to portray Henry Ford in a thoughtful, pensive pose in the belief that a man’s deportment reflects his character. “I couldn’t quite see him walking or striving or doing something too active. I like the thought that he is just thinking.”

Dollhouse

Creator: Unknown, donated by the Lieberman Family

The dollhouse was donated to the Snow Branch Library by the Lieberman family in the mid-1970s. A fundraising campaign was launched in about 1979 to raise money to decorate the house. In the mid-1990s, a local group of dollhouse enthusiasts, My Mini Friends, took charge of the renovation and care of the dollhouse. When the Snow Branch Library was closed in 2011, the dollhouse was relocated to Youth Services at the Henry Ford Centennial Library. It is a beloved attraction for both the young and old, and continues to be decorated to reflect holidays and seasons by My Mini Friends.

Hansel and Gretel Quilt

Creator: Karen Bredschneider

An intricate quilt depicting the candy house from the German fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel. In early 2011, the Friends of the Library-Dearborn commissioned quilter Karen Bredschneider of Monroe, Michigan to make a quilt in memory of Opal Ziemer, Children’s librarian, who passed away in June 2009. The quilt was dedicated to Opal’s memory on Sunday, October 23, 2011.

Opal began her career with the Dearborn Public Library in October 1944 as a Children’s librarian at the Southeast Branch. In 1947 she became the supervisor at the Northeast Branch, now the Esper Branch Library. When she retired in 1983, Opal was a Librarian III, overseeing children’s services at all the Dearborn Public Library. She was a devoted Children’s librarian, assisting countless children and parents visiting the Dearborn libraries. Additionally, she was a wonderful mentor to many newly hired children’s librarians, encouraging them with her quiet demeanor and extraordinary patience. Even in her retirement, Opal never stopped working. She volunteered countless hours at the Research Center at the Henry Ford Museum and was an active member and volunteer of the AAUW. Opal’s most devoted volunteer work was for the Friends of the Library-Dearborn. She was one of the founding members of the Friends, was chair of the book sale committee for many years and seldom missed working the monthly book sale, including the sale on the Wednesday before she passed away.

Dearborn Veterans Park and War Memorial

Creator: Neumann/Smith along with Mannik & Smith Group Inc.

The focus of the War Memorial is four 7-foot monoliths that are tributes to the 340 Dearborn men who lost their lives in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. An eternal flame, which signifies Dearborn’s remembrance of those who died in service, also features prominently at the new memorial, along with a replica of a battlefield cross, which is made up of a rifle inside a pair of boots and a helmet. On the battlefield, it is an immediate means to show honor and respect for the fallen by their comrades-in-arms.
A prominent flagpole and an American flag, which is lighted at night, also define the site. The park honors all who served in peacetime and war, whether they were stationed in the United States or on foreign soil, whether they were in combat or assigned to other critical functions. To mark that distinction, the park includes flags of the five branches of the armed forces, also lighted at night; glass panels etched with dates of major conflicts in U.S. history, as well as the number who served in each conflict; and several newly planted cherry trees enhance the walkways.
Acknowledging the role that it played in the Dearborn community, some of the marble of the library’s former fountain were reused for five benches with emblems of the five military branches. The heart of the new installation is a large, sloped plaza that will accommodate audiences for commemorative ceremonies such as the annual Flag Day and Memorial Day services, as well as other community celebrations.

Pewabic Tiles

Creator: Pewabic Pottery of Mary Chase Stratton

The tiles on the library fireplaces are from the famed Pewabic Pottery of Mary Chase Stratton. The Pottery was founded in Detroit in 1908 and was given an Indian name from the Michigan Copper Country where Mary Stratton was born.

The west fireplace was originally designed fro the Children’s Story Hour Room. This area is no the Adult Reading Alcove. The tiles are based on illustrations from Walter Crane’s “The Baby’s Opera.” The brilliant blue glazes that Mrs. Stratton loved are very evident here. The fireplace in the children’s section is a Persian design done in elegant browns and iridescent golds.

Tiles from the Pewabic Pottery seem to be almost an essential in any well designed building of the period. Brilliant blues, delicate grays, greens and browns tinged with an iridescent quality typified the tiles. In 1903 Mary Stratton discovered an iridescent glaze which brought her international recognition. It was identical to glazes found on fragments of pottery in ancient Persia and 14th century Spain. Unfortunately this glaze formula was not recorded by Mrs. Stratton and is now lost.

The Murals

Creator: Paul Honore

In 1927 two murals by Detroit artist Paul Honore were added to the library entrance. The mural to the east depicts “Aspiration to Knowledge” and to the west, “Application of Knowledge.” While the colors of the murals have faded through the years, their concepts will never become dated.

On Thursday, November 17, 1927, the public was invited to view the new murals and to meet the artist. An essay contest was held for the students of the junior and senior high schools in Dearborn. The essays were judged on appreciation of the murals, composition and neatness. The original winning essays are on file in the Dearborn Collection at the Henry Ford Centennial Library.

Artist Paul Honore studied at Cass Technical High School, the Detroit School of Fine Arts, the Pennsylvania Academy and in Paris. For many years he ran an art school in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Mr. Honore died in 1956 at the age of 71 in Philadelphia where he made his home.