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At long last the citizens are going to religious who are concerned about the threat demolition of the old Jefferson Market courthouse a tenth Street near the Americas had been ruined it by its official opening a few days ago as a regional black branch of the New York Public Library you'll recall my telling you about the great opportunities we have to really really utilize sturdy old structures built in the Victorian period with the fine materials and workmanship now a little longer available that era has left us many monuments of great substance and beauty that can still be put to good use and well serve the needs of today the old Japanese market court houses an admirable example as renovated from the skilful plans of architect Giorgio Cavaleri it is now the Jefferson branch library and will be enjoyed for many years to come as an important public facility in the community it serves furnished with all the modern equipment needed to serve the more complicated requirements of a library service system these days it is made all the more attractive by the high ceilings and spacious dimensions of the old courthouse chambers and particularly by the tasteful incorporation of the because Victoria in style would trim symbolic stone carving intricate brick work and stained glass windows as much as could be salvaged the colored glass in the Windows has been cleaned repair and reinstalled but even with large areas of clear glass added I noted that the artificial lighting was turned on in full daylight on a bright sunny day thus diminishing the effectiveness of the colored glass I wonder if this is really needed for reading purposes or if we have become spoiled and demanding more light and falling just as we want more artificial heat in winter and more official cool in summer than actually seems natural on necessary. On the outside the old courthouse brick and stone have been properly patched and cleaned but not so conspicuously as to conceal its venerable age this is fortunate and the tower with its reactivated clock continues to provide a visual landmark for the area where the library's interior layout is more than ample for its readers old and young very little spaces provided for out exactly concerts and other community activities this is a great disappointment of the GOING TO challenged people who worked for years to make the library a reality but all in all this restoration is an admirable example of what can be done with a with a one hundred year old building that is well located well shaped and well built and it proves that the Landmarks Commission has been justified in its efforts to turn of a kid landmarks to use for contemporary purposes for our architectural heritage can best be preserved not by the artificial and bombing of a landmark building as a sterile monument or museum but by remodeling it whenever possible to serve contemporary uses the Jefferson libraries architect Mr Carver Yairi was also responsible for the renovation of another old landmark in the village the year round home of the Shakespeare Theatre which now owns it occupies a Lafayette place a landmark that was originally built as the as the library whatever modern architectural theory may claim about a building having to be originally designed for a specific function these two remodel landmarks show that a building conceived as a library can become a fine theater while one that was built as a courthouse can become an excellent library this is Robert C. one the critic at large architectural planning.