By far the largest room in the Mansion, besides the Ballroom,
was the Living Room Library. The Living Room Library served a dual purpose
in the Mansion, being both the formal living room and the Mansion's library.
The Living Room Library contained 26 book cases made of oak, one bookcase
for each letter of the alphabet. These glass door book cases contain 20,000
volumes. This view is looking directly south at the central fireplace
as if you had just walked straight into the Living Room Library throught
the double doors of the front hallway. This is a gold marble fireplace
which shares the same chimney as the fireplace with is directly due south
of it on the Solarium. This fireplace, was unused in Mr. Barber's time
and upon the mantle sits a gold Louis XIV sunburst clock. The rugs on
the floor represent an American Grizzly bear and an African tiger. To
the right of the photo you will see a Victrola, invented by Thomas Edison,
a personal friend of Mr. Barber.
This is a view of the Living Room Library looking toward
the north west. The fireplace you saw in the previous photo is just out
of the picture to the left. The doors on the far right of the photo open
up into the main hallway of the Mansion. In the distance on the walls
of this hallway you can see the Bucher murals. The flat top desk you see
in the center of this photo was used by Mrs. Barber. A French roll top
desk can be seen in the distance in the far corner. The bear skin rug
has now been moved out into the doorway going into the main hallway.
We have now walked back toward the east in the Living Room
Library and we are now looking near due west. Notice the fireplace with
the Louis the XIV clock is shown on the left side of the photo. The desk
in the middle of the picture is Mr. Barber's writing desk and is a copy
of the desk of Louis XIV from the Palace of Versailles in France. The
first floor hallway doors still remain on the far right side of the photo.
The ceiling in this room was gold leaf on canvas and glued to the plaster.
All of the main lighting for this room is indirect lighting in the crown
molding above the book cases. The wood work of the book cases and the
pillars and trim in this room is oak.
This revealing morning view of the Living Room Library looking
almost due west. Next to the tiger skin rug at the bottom of the photo
you see Mrs. Barber's desk which was directly opposite of O. C. Barber's
desk is in the background. Mr. Barber's desk was a copy of the Louis XIV
desk from the Palace of Versailles. Notice around the room are the 26
book cases in the Living Room Library and to the right of the photo you
see the fireplace in the Living Room Library. More in the center of the
photo and to the right of Mr. Barber's desk you see the Mansion's grand
piano.
This view of the Living Room Library is looking at the South
wall slightly to the West. Two of the twenty-six fantastic oak bookcases
are seen in this photo along with the gold marble fireplace and the Louis
XIV Sunburst Clock. The Chairs are Mr. and Mrs. chairs in the William
and Mary style and are made of walnut.
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