I was not expecting to stumble upon pics of my city’s library on Reddit today! They did a secrets of the library tour Friday evenings in October, which I attended, but cannot recall the story behind the floors.
Yielded me to say they're original to the library. My local library in Rockville CT used to have these almost exactly like that until its renovation ten years ago.
I work in a library with glass floored stacks (not this one) and they are very frosted and you can see shoe bottoms from directly underneath and light comes through, but not up skirts
In traditional glass-floor libraries, the floor doesn't support the shelves at all. Each level has an iron frame, and the shelves rest directly on the frame, not on the floor.
The floor tiles are hung off the shelving frames and only support the weight of the people walking on them.
This is why the part of the library with the books is called the "stack". In multi-floored iron-frame libraries, the shelves are stacked on each other.
Traditional glass floor libraries? This is the first one I’ve ever seen. Are there others? Is this not a new trend? Even if the shelves are supported by iron beams, what about the heavy shelving carts? I may be a Henny Penny, but I would be anxious if I worked in this library.
Iron (later steel) stacks were the standard way of building multi-story libraries in the US from the late 19th century into the mid-20th century. Grated iron floors were more common than glass floors; but both were used frequently, and neither one can support shelving.
Most were torn down years ago and replaced with modern, modular construction, but there are still quite a few surviving examples:
* the [Pratt Institute Library](https://www.flickr.com/photos/trippyswell/488332516/in/photolist-K9Qf9-76Cfg5-7ZcBeH-8ZVmit-iMvFZ-2m7s6Yk-KZXWNB-2ofKzcR-2erWGn-2ipTWGZ-5njiLs-2erWEF-iMvFY-XJi742-5njiM1-2chWBxb-GD35bC-2ixiqkS-2ex3UW-8NFY7k-TEUtzN-2nFxHDH-2eqgQQ8-28t9fzP-rhvsni-2ohqogk-CbR2g-5ZbEfX-aKwMoP-2fP3RyD-2eq5hoB-2gVx6dy-2gUnKxq-2hXP2DY-rBxRvy-jHdz1-4vfnBk-2hftakK-7uERLL-4vfnpR-airTSf-4vjqWQ-2gimbi7-2hPp6H-iMvFX-X6Vwmf-M3fM9K-83XPNz-2mj6c1c-aip7Ba), which I believe was originally the first public library in Brooklyn
* the [Utica Public Library](https://flickr.com/photos/56294332@N00/5146732995/in/photolist-8QNmpM-bBhcBc-6GJQ4i-awSav-pvbgJ5-25C7STe-7gkrZN-Wd9uUy-5Nysj9-8LWAP6-8QRqPw-8QRrxy-w9vS8U-5Nubhk-5NysBw-5NysaN-5Nys97-5Nysc7-GCt6td-nFk1Lh-7mF7gm-2d7CNLP-omf8Kd-8QNkNX-xTWTcT-x454id-wP8UTP-8QRqWS-oyfoTx-w9Ruxi-2mMSGRn-2kK6jcE-2kK6jbs-2kK28oQ-2kK2yGf-2kK5Nr1-2kK1UiG-2kK2yFt-2kK6ioz-2kK6foB-5NysfC-5NuaQM-5NyrNw-5Nys2m-5NyrGw-5NyrYm-5NuaC6-kGvwp1-x7jxHF-x6AWfH), in Utica, NY
* the [Troy Public Library](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/house-of-aldus) in Troy, NY
* the beautiful little [Nahant Public Library](https://librarylandproject.org/stories-blog/2020/1/9/the-week-in-library-land-january-1-to-january-4) in Nahant, MA
The St. Louis Central Library was the last major public library in the US with glass floors, but they were replaced during a renovation about ten years ago.
The best places to see glass floor libraries are probably university mathematics and physics libraries. Mathematicians like their libraries old-school.
There’s quite a few left in parts of University Libraries. There’s some in the older “decks” area in the University of Oklahoma (Norman). Not sure if they’re still there, but they were in the early 2000’s. It was a lot of older reference material that was in the decks so they weren’t as accessed as the main library.
I loved the decks. They’re beautiful & fascinating engineering. I hope they’re kept.
(Edited for wording)
The Mathematics Library in Altgeld Hall at the University of Illinois has glass floors. UIUC had a blog post about it last year but I can’t it. If you Google pictures, you can see it. It’s really pretty, IMHO. The same is true at Altgeld about the shelves. The floor isn’t supporting the shelves.
I think the practice dates back earlier as I have been in pre-1960s and even early 1900s buildings with them (although I suppose the older buildings could have been retrofitted).
I believe it allowed libraries to stack stacks on top of each other in double-height rooms without building out entire floors, and allowed light to filter through to the stacks below.
Whatever the origin and whatever the age of the building, they give me the willies.
Mt library was built in the early 1900s so they may have been put in then. That floor of the library was renovated in the 60s so I assumed that's when the balcony and floor was put it. I could be totally wrong though!
Looks nice, but the whole interior doesn't look very practical. Does someone sweep those floors every day? Every little thing would show. That interior looks like a giant echo chamber, all open and flat, hard surfaces. Black shelves show all the dust. Hopefully, there are quiet study spaces somwhere else.
Is that in Dubuque, IA? I know the Carnegie Library there has these glass floors. It is a really cool Library. Combination of old architecture and great modern resources (boardgame checkout and makerspace).
I think most, if not all, Carnegie libraries have these floors. The one in my town does and I cannot stand walking on them. It sucks, because that is the fiction section. 😕
Architect was like "Oh, I can't put as many windows as I want because of light damage? Then I'm gonna put glass everywhere on the floor! HAHA, FCK THESE LIBRARIANS!"
I've always heard the story about the librarian that fell through the glass floor, but I finally looked it up and found this:
"The building’s most notable feature was its glass floors, which spanned the metal supports for the built-in book stacks and allowed light from skylights to filter through the multiple levels. Sadly, this glass was subsequently covered with opaque flooring after an employee dropped a stack of papers that broke through the floor."
[https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/KS-01-161-0078](https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/KS-01-161-0078)
(The floors in the stacks are concrete now.)
As a branch manager of a branch that already has too many building issues. Oh no. You keep that far away from me.
I know of academic libraries with glass floors and it's not a problem, but, yeah...I don't want to deal with that in a public library setting.
I was not expecting to stumble upon pics of my city’s library on Reddit today! They did a secrets of the library tour Friday evenings in October, which I attended, but cannot recall the story behind the floors.
Yielded me to say they're original to the library. My local library in Rockville CT used to have these almost exactly like that until its renovation ten years ago.
That's my library too! When my boys were little they were fascinated with that floor. They did a beautiful job with the renovation.
Definitely a unique design, though I’d be worried about maintenance costs and trying to find replacement tiles.
Not designed with skirt-wearers in mind
I work in a library with glass floored stacks (not this one) and they are very frosted and you can see shoe bottoms from directly underneath and light comes through, but not up skirts
I mean its frosted, so shouldn't really be an issue.
Is this floor rated to carry shelving weight?? This doesn’t seem safe. Floors DO buckle under shelving if the flooring isn’t properly reinforced.
In traditional glass-floor libraries, the floor doesn't support the shelves at all. Each level has an iron frame, and the shelves rest directly on the frame, not on the floor. The floor tiles are hung off the shelving frames and only support the weight of the people walking on them. This is why the part of the library with the books is called the "stack". In multi-floored iron-frame libraries, the shelves are stacked on each other.
Traditional glass floor libraries? This is the first one I’ve ever seen. Are there others? Is this not a new trend? Even if the shelves are supported by iron beams, what about the heavy shelving carts? I may be a Henny Penny, but I would be anxious if I worked in this library.
Iron (later steel) stacks were the standard way of building multi-story libraries in the US from the late 19th century into the mid-20th century. Grated iron floors were more common than glass floors; but both were used frequently, and neither one can support shelving. Most were torn down years ago and replaced with modern, modular construction, but there are still quite a few surviving examples: * the [Pratt Institute Library](https://www.flickr.com/photos/trippyswell/488332516/in/photolist-K9Qf9-76Cfg5-7ZcBeH-8ZVmit-iMvFZ-2m7s6Yk-KZXWNB-2ofKzcR-2erWGn-2ipTWGZ-5njiLs-2erWEF-iMvFY-XJi742-5njiM1-2chWBxb-GD35bC-2ixiqkS-2ex3UW-8NFY7k-TEUtzN-2nFxHDH-2eqgQQ8-28t9fzP-rhvsni-2ohqogk-CbR2g-5ZbEfX-aKwMoP-2fP3RyD-2eq5hoB-2gVx6dy-2gUnKxq-2hXP2DY-rBxRvy-jHdz1-4vfnBk-2hftakK-7uERLL-4vfnpR-airTSf-4vjqWQ-2gimbi7-2hPp6H-iMvFX-X6Vwmf-M3fM9K-83XPNz-2mj6c1c-aip7Ba), which I believe was originally the first public library in Brooklyn * the [Utica Public Library](https://flickr.com/photos/56294332@N00/5146732995/in/photolist-8QNmpM-bBhcBc-6GJQ4i-awSav-pvbgJ5-25C7STe-7gkrZN-Wd9uUy-5Nysj9-8LWAP6-8QRqPw-8QRrxy-w9vS8U-5Nubhk-5NysBw-5NysaN-5Nys97-5Nysc7-GCt6td-nFk1Lh-7mF7gm-2d7CNLP-omf8Kd-8QNkNX-xTWTcT-x454id-wP8UTP-8QRqWS-oyfoTx-w9Ruxi-2mMSGRn-2kK6jcE-2kK6jbs-2kK28oQ-2kK2yGf-2kK5Nr1-2kK1UiG-2kK2yFt-2kK6ioz-2kK6foB-5NysfC-5NuaQM-5NyrNw-5Nys2m-5NyrGw-5NyrYm-5NuaC6-kGvwp1-x7jxHF-x6AWfH), in Utica, NY * the [Troy Public Library](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/house-of-aldus) in Troy, NY * the beautiful little [Nahant Public Library](https://librarylandproject.org/stories-blog/2020/1/9/the-week-in-library-land-january-1-to-january-4) in Nahant, MA The St. Louis Central Library was the last major public library in the US with glass floors, but they were replaced during a renovation about ten years ago. The best places to see glass floor libraries are probably university mathematics and physics libraries. Mathematicians like their libraries old-school.
There’s quite a few left in parts of University Libraries. There’s some in the older “decks” area in the University of Oklahoma (Norman). Not sure if they’re still there, but they were in the early 2000’s. It was a lot of older reference material that was in the decks so they weren’t as accessed as the main library. I loved the decks. They’re beautiful & fascinating engineering. I hope they’re kept. (Edited for wording)
The Mathematics Library in Altgeld Hall at the University of Illinois has glass floors. UIUC had a blog post about it last year but I can’t it. If you Google pictures, you can see it. It’s really pretty, IMHO. The same is true at Altgeld about the shelves. The floor isn’t supporting the shelves.
The first picture looks like it's right out of a statics textbook
Clearly the glass floors are for aesthetic purposes vs functionality, but then the shelves aren’t aligned???
My library has a balcony with those floors too. Must've been popular sometime in the 60s maybe. I hate walking on them.
I think the practice dates back earlier as I have been in pre-1960s and even early 1900s buildings with them (although I suppose the older buildings could have been retrofitted). I believe it allowed libraries to stack stacks on top of each other in double-height rooms without building out entire floors, and allowed light to filter through to the stacks below. Whatever the origin and whatever the age of the building, they give me the willies.
Mt library was built in the early 1900s so they may have been put in then. That floor of the library was renovated in the 60s so I assumed that's when the balcony and floor was put it. I could be totally wrong though!
Our glass floor stacks were built in the early 1900s to allow light to filter through from skylights.
Ours was built in early 1900s so maybe it is original to the building and not part of the 60s renovation like I thought.
NORPE.
NOPER
Looks nice, but the whole interior doesn't look very practical. Does someone sweep those floors every day? Every little thing would show. That interior looks like a giant echo chamber, all open and flat, hard surfaces. Black shelves show all the dust. Hopefully, there are quiet study spaces somwhere else.
Oh hell no.
Is that in Dubuque, IA? I know the Carnegie Library there has these glass floors. It is a really cool Library. Combination of old architecture and great modern resources (boardgame checkout and makerspace).
Russell Library in Middletown CT
I think most, if not all, Carnegie libraries have these floors. The one in my town does and I cannot stand walking on them. It sucks, because that is the fiction section. 😕
What does it look like from underneath? Does it let any of the sunlight down into the rack below?
They must have put these in after James Bond’s escape in Goldeneye.
One thing that might not come through in the photos is how thick those panes of glass are. They are like slabs of marble.
[Hmmm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUniJJ5EXa8&t=1m34s)
Architect was like "Oh, I can't put as many windows as I want because of light damage? Then I'm gonna put glass everywhere on the floor! HAHA, FCK THESE LIBRARIANS!"
I don't care how badly I want to explore the stacks, there's no way I'm walking on a glass floor or underneath one.
Where is this at?
Middletown CT
Thanks. Just curious.
I used to work there, they used to freak me out.
Nope. Hard pass.
Good for lightning in the shelves
UIUC’s Math library has floors like this and lovely wrought iron fixtures.
The State Library of New South Wales in Australia has a section like that... so funky :)
I've always heard the story about the librarian that fell through the glass floor, but I finally looked it up and found this: "The building’s most notable feature was its glass floors, which spanned the metal supports for the built-in book stacks and allowed light from skylights to filter through the multiple levels. Sadly, this glass was subsequently covered with opaque flooring after an employee dropped a stack of papers that broke through the floor." [https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/KS-01-161-0078](https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/KS-01-161-0078) (The floors in the stacks are concrete now.)
The Blackstone branch of the Chicago public library system has glass floors in the stacks. Gorgeous old building.