Here’s one of my travel rules: if you’re in a city, always look for ways to get a view from up higher.
The best place to do that in Cleveland is at Terminal Tower but they were closed when we were there. So, we made do with a good view of one street from the Louis Stokes wing of the downtown library. We started at the main library building and then followed a tunnel beneath a reading garden to access the Louis Stokes wing.
This library is a lovely place to visit if you get a chance!
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No! It’s Superman!
Superman’s origin story begins in Cleveland so he has been a favorite son in that city for decades. The popular comic book hero was created when writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster were in high school together in 1933.
That’s right! One of the world’s coolest super heroes was the brainchild of a couple of teenagers over ninety years ago. Superman has been the man of the hour around Ohio this summer because so much of the new blockbuster was shot in and near Cleveland.
If you’re a fan, know that the main library in downtown Cleveland has a really nice collection of Superman memorabilia and artifacts in a well done exhibit. The thing I geeked out over the most was Jerry Siegel’s writing desk.
He bought it for his home in 1940 and sat here to write scripts for Superman comics and other comic strip characters. He mainly used a typewriter to do this work and I could almost hear the clickity clack of an old Underwood as I studied the desk and considered the creative mind it would require to create a character with such staying power.
The library exhibit features items like comics, clocks, valentines, pajamas and lunch boxes. Many things are quite old and a few are from my own childhood – also, quite old – but at least I could feel a nostalgic connection to those old things.
This exhibit includes a snapshot of Jolan Kovacs who was the original model for Lois Lane. She would later marry Jerry Siegel. The museum card tells just enough of her story to make me want to learn more but I thought it was interesting she spent years campaigning for author’s rights and seeking wider recognition for the artists who gave us the Man of Steel.
It’s not an enormous exhibit but it’s quality and worth your time if you’re in the neighborhood. Also, it’s just across the street from The Arcade where they shot an iconic scene for this new movie and there are other Superman movie landmarks in the general vicinity. It’s all worth a visit if you’re a fan. The library and the Arcade are worth a visit even if you’re not a Superman fan!
The lending library also has an impressive wall of books about Superman and the comics. Remember, before he was a movie/tv show/ icon/merchandising gold mine, Superman was just a good old fashioned comic book hero!
By the way, Union Terminal in Cincinnati also got a nice chunk of time in the movie. I wrote about that art deco masterpiece last year. See it here!
If you stop by the library, be sure to ask the security guard for a map. It’s useful as you nose around and points out some interesting assets.
When planning a trip, I always look up libraries around my destination. If there’s a Carnegie library or some other interesting building, it automatically makes the list of must sees. Sometimes I stop in anyway because libraries say a lot about the place. In these four walls, it is possible to simply exist. There’s no admission, there’s interesting stuff to see, and the library staff is typically knowledgeable about their community. Plus, there’s a free and clean public restroom!
The main library in downtown Cleveland has been on my list for a while and there just hasn’t been a good opportunity to go in. That is, until last week! Adam and I revisited the gorgeous Arcade where an important scene was filmed for the new Superman movie. From there, the library was just across the street.
Park once, visit two things. This is helpful when parking garages cost $15 a pop.
This library did not disappoint. My friends, the security guard may have momentarily thought us crazy until he realized we’re just nerds. He handed us a guided walking tour and sent us on our way. But first, I had to admire this light!!
Look! The shade is a globe! Where can I get one of these for my house?
The downtown library consists of the original building and the Louis Stokes Wing which is accessible via an underground tunnel. We explored the new building some but thought the real show stopper was the main library which opened just over a century ago in May 1925.
The building features a number of architectural styles. Inside, Italian marble, vaulted ceilings and grand staircases are only upstaged by the paintings of historical and mythological figures.. It’s five stories and cost about $5 million to build in those glorious years of prosperity we call the Roaring Twenties.
I read somewhere that times were tough for the library during the Depression just as they were for everyone else. President Roosevelt’s Public Works programs sent employees to clean, paint, make building repairs and perform other chores for a while. During that time, some federally funded art was given to the library via paintings and murals that remain today. Can we pause for a moment and recognize the value of funding art for public buildings? Putting to work starving artists while preserving art of the period and improving public spaces is a real gift.
We visited the Arcade last year and strolled through the beautiful reading garden but didn’t make it inside. Incidentally, the reading garden is named for Linda Anne Eastman who was the first woman to head a major U.S. city library system and she was a pioneer in modern libraries who was once President of the American Library Association. When did she do that? She was the head librarian of the Cleveland library system from 1918 to 1938. She raised money to build this library and oversaw its construction.
What. A. Rock. Star.
And honestly, I could write an entire story about her accomplishments. But I digress.
The library has an enormous collection of books as well as all manner of electronic items, programs for all ages, gallery space, a place for technology education and an impressive makerspace complete with 3D printers, laser fabrication and music and video production tools.
They have done a magnificent job keeping up with the times. Plus, the library system has 27 branches as well as the Ohio Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled.
Sit tight and come back. I still have to tell you about their collection of Superman memorabilia and artifacts. He’s from Cleveland, you know!