Rosenberg Library, the oldest continuously operating library in Texas, faces you in light-colored brick and terracotta trim, headquarters of the Galveston County Library System. Henry Rosenberg set aside a portion of his estate to establish a library in his name, but the 1900 Galveston Hurricane postponed this project. The following year the trustees of the estate announced a design competition, and Eames & Young of St. Louis submitted the winning proposal.
The library was established in 1900, and the building was constructed a few years later. As you listen, take in the building’s sturdy concrete foundation and its light-colored brick, brought here from the Hydraulic Press Brick Company of St. Louis, Missouri. Architectural terracotta trim and detailing give the façade warmth, and large panels at the tops of the brick piers proudly list thirteen authors, including Homer, Virgil, Dante, Shakespeare, Milton, Hugo, Goethe, Schiller, Irving, Byrant, Emerson, and Longfellow.
Look up to see the roof, covered with green glazed Ludowici tile, a finishing touch from the building’s original makers. The Executive Director here also serves as the Galveston County Librarian, and overhead the green Ludowici tile still crowns the terracotta panels naming those thirteen authors.