Marilyn Gell Mason
Director,
Cleveland Public Library

Marilyn Gell Mason’s bold and imaginative leadership of the new building and restoration project at the downtown campus of the Cleveland Public Library (CPL) set new standards for art and design patronage in Cleveland, and the country as well. As CPL director from September 1986 to July 1999, she lead the way in ensuring that the redesign of the Main Library incorporated art throughout—a tradition begun in 1925, when the building was constructed.

To that end, Mason made the recommendation to set aside the equivalent of 1 percent of the total construction budget to be used for the commissioning of new site-specific work under the aegis of the Committee for Public Art. Thirteen artists contributed work to the library’s public art collection, adding warmth and whimsy to the new Louis Stokes Wing and the redesigned Eastman Reading Garden.

Architecturally, the Stokes Wing is a welcome addition to the Burnham mall group. Under Mason’s watchful eye, the building became a model of civic-spiritedness. It respects its neighbors in its materials and scale, while its glass oval form serves as a contemporary beacon in the heart of downtown. From its exuberant lobby to its intimate tower reading rooms, the Stokes Wing is a celebratory experience. And its auditorium has become a center of civic discourse of all kinds.

Long one of the most beloved and frequented parks downtown (in spite of its shabby appearance), the Eastman Reading Garden now offers everything one could want from a public space: lush plantings, plenty of seating, security, a high degree of maintenance, and beautifully conceived artworks by such nationally renowned artists as Maya Lin and Tom Otterness. Otterness’s fanciful bronze figures that spill in and out of the garden and climb all over the artist’s handsome bronze gates contribute to the overall feeling of accessibility that was a hallmark of Mason’s vision for the library’s downtown capital projects. (Under Mason’s leadership, new branch libraries have also been built in several Cleveland neighborhoods and others have been refurbished—all with artworks carefully included.)

Treasuring what we have but aspiring to make it even better—this principle guided Mason’s oversight of the remodeling of the old Main Library building. When it reopened to the public last May, patrons were awed by the use of high-quality materials and the restoration of architectural details that had been lost over generations of neglect.

In short, Marilyn Mason (along with her trustees and staff) set the highest standards for public art and architecture that Clevelanders have seen in 50 years—a legacy that will endure as long as the revitalized Main Library itself.