It was my mother
who first took me to the library. For as
long as I can remember, she instilled in me the value of education and the
magic that can be found in books. In
doing so, she invoked the example and inspiration of my paternal grandfather,
Aram, and his brother, Rouben.
I am not entirely
sure when she first took me to the library.
It must have been in first grade maybe second, I am not really
sure. It was circa 1960. Back then we did not have the children’s programs
that libraries seem to routinely offer these days. We went to check out books. The first book we ever checked-out was a Dr. Seuss
title. It might have been The Cat in
the Hat which was first published in 1959.
But, if memory serves me correct, The Cat in the Hat was very
popular and always out on loan. It took
several visits before were able to get it.
Over time, we must have checked-out every Dr. Suess book they had.
The library we
went to, my library, was the Monnier Branch of the Detroit Public Library. It was on Schaefer at the corner of Grand
River. It was a grand old stone
structure that may have been someone’s mansion.
Or maybe, as it was built during the time of Detroit’s breaking out as a
great American city of the Industrial Revolution, it was built as a library and
also a work of architectural beauty.
For example, during the same era, Cooley High School was built in an impressive Spanish
Mediterranean style. I would love to
know the history of the building.
Growing up, it was the only branch of the Detroit Public Library system that I ever went to. I just called it “the library.” To me it was just that… The Library. I am not sure if it fit my view of learning and books or if the library influenced how I viewed books and learning. In writing this, I am convinced it was me, the library, and my mother who all contributed to my view that learning is a gift and that there are great mysteries, wisdom, and insights to be revealed in the right books at the right time in one’s life.
The Monnier Branch was a perfect complement to this view. It was from another age, it was venerable in a style that was more proletariat then royal. It had creaky wood floors that made we want to tread lightly to preserve the solemn quiet of the place. The interior was clad, in what I assume were oak shelves, paneling, desks, chairs, and counters. There was no air conditioning. It had big windows that were opened as needed. It had a very slight tinge of mustiness to make the ambiance perfect. And the library staff, the ladies, were wonderfully cast for their roles and were ever so helpful. I loved the place. I loved the space. I always felt special and at home there.
The library was
about a mile from our house. At first my
mother would drive us and would check out books for us. We were always prompt in returning our books
as the nickel per day fine for late returns would have been a huge
expense. We started with children’s
books Dr. Seuss and other children’s story books. We read all of the classics of that era. As my reading improved, I gravitated to Henry
Huggins, Mary Poppins, Enid Blyton’s adventure series, and finally Mark
Twain. It was wonderful and integral
part of my early education.
It was an
important day when I was able to get a library card and check books out on my
own. I must have been in second or third
grade because I had signed my card in my careful cursive style. I was very proud to have that card and be
able to borrow books. Later, when I had
my own grown-up bicycle and was allowed to ride in the streets, I used to ride
my bike there to return books and check out more. When I would ride there on my own, especially in the middle of a summer day, I was often the only person, other than staff, in the place.
It wasn’t long
before I realized that if I wanted to learn something new, the library was the
perfect place to do so. What are these
atom things everyone was talking about?
They had books to help me learn that.
Who was this fellow Beethoven?
There was a book to educate me about Ludwig Van. Once I thought I should learn history? It was a very general notion. So, I found a huge tome that was simply
titled History. As it turned out, the
book only addressed the history of England.
It was well beyond my level and I could barely read two pages. That experience taught me that not any book
on a subject would do. It had to be the
right book at the right time to have the most impact.
When we moved to
Connecticut in 1990, one of the first things I did was go to the Wilton Public
Library which, expect for having shelves of books, was nothing like my
library. I was new to Connecticut and
realized I knew nothing of the history of the state. I got a library card and took out a book on
the history of Connecticut. As I learned
about the history of Michigan in the fifth grade at Burns Elementary, I sought out
a fifth-grade level book on Connecticut.
I found one and it was perfect.
Some years ago, I
tried to find information about the Monnier Branch. There was nothing on the internet. I went on the Detroit Public Library site and
found nothing there either. It was as if it never existed. A few weeks ago, I posted
a request on a Facebook group page, IF YOU LIVE OR GREW UP NEAR GRAND RIVER AND
GREENFIELD, asking if anyone had a photo of the library. Amazingly, my friend Reid Johnson, from the neighborhood,
posted a photo from the Detroit Public Library site. I was glad to see them embracing their
history. I hope they will eventually
provide a history of the building and the person it was named for. A web search has me believing the Monnier Library
and the nearby Monnier Elementary school were named for Peter Monnier a Civil War
signalman.
The last time I
was at the library was in 1967 or 1968. I
asked a librarian if they had part-time employment figuring it would be a
special place to work and earn some spending money as I was about to enter high
school. She said they did not need
anyone at the time but took my name and address down. I had no expectations. But, about a year later I got either a phone
call or letter from the librarian asking if I was still interested in a job
there. My heart soared for a second and
then sank. We were just about to move
from Detroit to Livonia. It was a
bittersweet moment.
As with many places
in my old neighborhood and in Detroit in general, the Monnier Branch is no
longer a library. I have no idea if the building
has been repurposed, abandoned and vandalized, or just torn down. I almost don’t want to know. I want to remember it as was… my library.
Excellent memories! I also loved the Monnier Library, beginning in the late 1940s and into the 1950s. I loved everything about it, especially the smell of books. My earliest favorite books were the Bobbs-Merrill series on famous people when they were young (in very distinctive orange covers). Jim Johnson
ReplyDeleteYour description of the inside of the library with the creaky floors,musty smell, and oak shelves hit home.
ReplyDeleteI spent man hours there. I loved the Black Stallion books.
Many, many happy memories there. I went to Parker Elementary.
I'd love to know what happened to the building. I hope it was preserved in some form.
It was still an awesome library when we moved to the area, on Littlefield, in the fall of 1971. In similar experience to the writer, our parents instilled in us a great love of reading, and I have many fond memories of great runs to the Ecorse library on Outer drive and Jefferson, by bike or foot before moving to the "near west side. They still had awesome staff there, but sadly, about two years in, about 1973 or so, it was closed. It was razed, and there is now a Detroit Police precinct on the location. Would have done the neighborhood more good, had it remained a library branch location, for the police (non) response the area received, lol.
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