|
"Today, we throw open the doors to this
library. It is a modest ceremony, a chance to say thanks to the
architects, construction crews, artists and artisans who brought us
to this point. It is a public ceremony because this is very much a
public building, built with public funds and consecrated to public
education," Gov. Blagojevich said.
"Beginning today, the Illinois State
Historical Library has a new home and name, a new culture, and a new
commitment to public history -- a commitment that will enhance its
national profile. I'm sure many of you have heard about the miles of
shelving and the millions of documents and about the rooms of
microfilm and manuscripts and the artifacts tracing the history of
our state and its most famous son. But history is more than just
numbers.
 "Beyond the statistics, are the
stories and countless personal dramas of long-distant homesteaders,
bending their backs to break the rich black earth of Illinois. Here
in this library, you will be introduced to all sorts of pioneers: to
the urban reformers led by Jane Addams; to the friends of labor like
Debs, Altgeld and Lewis; to the abolitionists of the 19th century
and the heroes of the 20th-century civil rights movement. Here you
will meet the poets and the politicians, the architects who build in
stone and glass, and the writers who raise cathedrals with their
words. Their stories are all here, and so are the dreams and trials,
the aspirations and achievements of millions of other Illinoisans."
Just before officially opening the
library to the public, the governor dedicated the library's General
Reading Room to the late Steve Neal, the Chicago Sun-Times writer
whose frequent columns about the library kept the project in the
public's eye. Neal authored 10 books on U.S. history, including the
recently published "Happy Days Are Here Again," about the 1932
Democratic Convention.
"Steve Neal made sure this library
would be a fitting tribute to America's greatest president," said
Gov. Blagojevich. "I think Steve would be very proud to have his
name in this building."
"In size, scope and imagination this
library and museum complex will dwarf all other presidential
libraries," said Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Director Richard Norton Smith, who has overseen the libraries built
for Presidents Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford and
Ronald Reagan. "The museum in particular will be truly world-class."
The public ceremony Thursday was
paid for by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Foundation, a private support organization that will underwrite
temporary exhibits, conferences, educational and other public
programs, as well as such scholarly efforts as "The Papers of
Abraham Lincoln." It marks the first time the building has been open
for use by the public.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Library is the new home of the former Illinois State Historical
Library, which since 1889 has been the world's foremost institution
for research about all aspects of Illinois history. The library's
47,000-item Abraham Lincoln Collection is the largest assemblage of
pre-presidential Lincoln material in the world and is used for
virtually every publication, broadcast program or film about Lincoln
or the Civil War. The new building replaces the one constructed
underneath the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in 1968.
Contained within the library is a
treasure trove of 12 million documents and artifacts relating to all
eras of Illinois history. These include more than 10.5 million
manuscripts, 175,000 books, 90,000 reels of Illinois newspapers on
microfilm, 6,000 maps and broadsides, and 200,000 prints and
photographs.
[to
top of second column in this article] |
The library's Lincoln Collection
features 1,500 original manuscripts written by Abraham Lincoln; 400
of the 600 letters written by Mary Todd Lincoln that are known to
exist; 1,200 prints and photographs, including the only photo
showing Lincoln lying in state; more than 200 paintings and
sculptures, including six original life portraits of President and
Mrs. Lincoln; 12,000 books and pamphlets; more than 230 personal and
family items; 800 broadsides, including invitations to Lincoln's
first and second inaugural balls; and political campaign material,
including pieces of rail allegedly split by Lincoln and sold to
raise money for the 1860 presidential campaign.
The library is open Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday from 9 a.m.
to 8:30 p.m.; and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will be closed
on Sundays and major state holidays. There is no admission fee, and
anyone is welcome to visit the library to perform research or simply
tour the new building.
It bears noting that the museum, set
to open in the spring of 2005, will be the major tourist attraction
in Springfield's galaxy of Lincoln sites.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Museum will feature nearly 50,000 square feet of exhibits,
special-effects theaters and displays of original artifacts that
will plunge visitors into Lincoln's life and times. When it opens
next spring, hundred of thousands of visitors each year will be
immersed in the Lincoln story through two state-of-the-art exhibit
"journeys" depicting Lincoln's early years, home life, legal and
political careers, and presidency. The museum's Treasures Gallery
will showcase select original items from the state's Lincoln
Collection, such as the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln's
presidential briefcase. The Union Theatre will present "Lincoln's
Eyes," a 17-minute show that uses special effects and three screens
to surround the audience with the tragedies and triumphs of
Lincoln's life. The "Ghosts of the Library" theater will amaze
audiences as live actors interact with ghosts onstage to make
yesterday and today come together.
The museum will also feature a
children's area, restaurant, gift shop and a 4,500-square-foot
plaza, sure to be one of the most popular gathering places in
Illinois. The complex will include a welcome center in the restored
1890 Union Station and a parking garage for visitors; both are
currently under construction.
"Nearly 140 years after his death,
Abraham Lincoln, the man from Springfield, still inspires people in
every land who yearn for the 'new birth of freedom' he proclaimed at
Gettysburg," said Gov. Blagojevich. "Lincoln's work must be our
work, and in the dawn of this young century, and for as long as
mankind seeks higher ground. At a turning point in the struggle to
realize promises older than the republic itself, Lincoln said, 'The
occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the
occasion.' Here is the Lincoln challenge -- to see possibilities
where others see only problems, and to extend the blessings of
liberty to every hearth and home."
The total cost for the four-building
complex consisting of the library, museum, Union Station and parking
garage is approximately $150 million, paid for with a combination of
state, federal and city of Springfield funds.
The
Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Library and Museum is administered by the Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency, a cabinet-level agency of state government.
Construction of the complex is being overseen by the Illinois
Capital Development Board, which manages all state construction
projects. The buildings were designed by Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum
of St. Louis. Siciliano Inc. of Springfield is the general
contractor.
[News release
from the governor's office]
|
