Flashback : Dallas

“Central Research Library”

by Paula Bosse

I have news: I am now working on the Dallas History and Archives floor at the downtown Dallas Public Library! I am surrounded by so many interesting things every day that it’s hard not to be distracted by all the photos, maps, books, manuscript collections, etc. Cool stuff everywhere. And great co-workers!

I might as well take this opportunity to share a few tidbits about the building (at 1515 Young Street, facing City Hall).

As you can see from the 3-D architectural model above (the model is on permanent display on the 7th floor), the library was originally referred to as “Central Research Library” when it opened in April 1982 (it was later renamed the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, in honor of the former mayor). I’m not sure I knew that. Here’s another photo, showing the Wood Street side of the model:

When this library opened, it was the only major library (in the world, I think) that had its entire collection cataloged electronically. Bye-bye to card catalog files and their cute little drawers and hello to desktop computers, 50 of which were donated by Texas Instruments (Erik Jonsson was a founder of T.I.). These were for use by patrons, and, for many of them, these computers were their first experience with a personal computer.

Here is another interesting factoid from a Dallas Morning News article touting the new library’s innovations:

Special exhibits are housed in rooms protected by halon gas, an oxygen-consuming gas that will be released if a fire breaks out, removing all the oxygen and starving the fire. (DMN, April 18, 1982)

The architects were Fisher & Spillman, and they designed the building to be something of a stylistically sympathetic companion to I. M. Pei’s City Hall right across the street. This is the view of it I see every day (and, yes, I think of RoboCop every day):

I can’t believe this building — which I still think of being fairly “new” — is 42 years old. Time flies. Read about the journey of this library, from bond proposal to dedication, in a D Magazine article by my co-worker Brandon Murray, here (check out the slideshow).

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I’m very excited about my new job, surrounded by Dallas and Texas history. Much of my childhood was spent in my local library (the Lakewood Branch), and the occasional trip to the downtown library on Commerce Street, which predated the one I now work in, was always something of a magical experience. And now I’m back, just on the other side of the desk.

If you’re ever in the neighborhood, stop by and say hi!

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Sources & Notes

All photos by me, taken in the summer of 2024.

The architectural rendering by Fisher & Spillman is from the Dallas Public Library Archives.

A version of this post appeared on the Flashback Dallas Patreon page.

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Copyright © 2024 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.