Chapter 22. My Metamorphosis from Business Manager to Assistant Director and Deputy Director

During the Board meeting of May 20, 1959, my career in the library was to take still another turn. Miss Wefel had announced her decision to retire as the Library’s Assistant Director. I was offered the job effective June 1, 1959. When the offer was made, I was told:

In short I would be continuing what I was doing as Business Manager of the institution, that the post of Business Manager would be abolished, thus enabling the Library to save the Business Manager’s salary. Once again I found myself in the position of having to make a career decision that had another set of aspects having some very serious implications. Here again I was faced with an offer that would require me to wear two hats. As Assistant Director, I would continue to carry the responsibilities of Business Manager as well as accepting the wider functions of a second in command. In the absence of the Director, I would be assuming the Director’s functions as well. I was not sure that I wanted to do so. This was another period of soul searching for me. My initial impulse was to reject the offer out-of-hand, and Grace agreed with that course of action, however, she advised me to seek the counsel of Miss Wefel and a couple of other close associates. Miss Wefel and the others advised that I should give the matter more thought before turning the offer down. Again I found myself thinking of father and how he might have counseled me at this time and under these circumstances. From the way that Miss Wefel had reacted, I could see that she did not want me to react negatively to the job offer. Once more I found myself moved by my loyalty to the Library. I decided to accept the Assistant Directorship and continue performing the business functions. I had convinced myself that it would have been the course of action that father would have advised. Grace went along with my decision finally because she had valued Miss Wefel’s advice. Of course Miss Wefel was most pleased when I informed her of my decision. She told me that it had been her wish that I succeed her. My appointment as Assistant Director became effective as of June 1, 1959.

By this time the renovation of the Plain Dealer Building as a library annex was nearing completion. The Library Board had approved plans to have the grand opening of the annex on July 8, 1959. I was feeling good about the way the project had developed. That feeling, however was dispelled by a letter that I received from the Interior Steel Company, which was about to complete the installation of the steel book-stacks and shelving in the building. The letter dated June 23, 1959 stated that a jurisdictional dispute had arisen between the carpenters working in the building and t-he book-stack installers. The bone of contention was, which tradesmen had the right to insert the steel shelves into the book-stack uprights.

The carpenter’s union based this right for its workers on an agreement that had been reached between the unions in March of 1928. The iron and sheet metal workers on the other hand cited a March 1952 agreement made between the sheet metal workers and the iron workers that had assigned the job of inserting light gauge metal shelving to the sheet metal workers and heavy gauge shelving to the iron workers. The Interior Steel company maintained that since 1952 it had assigned such work to either the Sheet metal workers or to the iron workers as required, that the practice had not been questioned before, that carpenters and the metal workers had always worked in harmony before on other jobs when such work was going on.

This time, our project was brought to a complete standstill. In sympathy for the carpenters, the acoustical tile workers, the venetian blind installers, the floor tile installers, etc., etc. stopped work. The Interior Steel Company refused to bend. As a result no one was allowed to work. The public opening of the building scheduled for duly 8, was postponed indefinitely, until such time as the dispute could be settled and the aborted work could be completed.

A telegram was sent to the National Joint Board for the Settlement of Jurisdictional Disputes in Washington, D.C., urging that representatives be sent posthaste to settle the labor dispute. Those representatives arrived quickly. They found in favor of the carpenters, citing the earlier agreement of March of 1928 as justification. All the trades were ordered to go back to work and to allow the carpenters to insert the shelving in the book-stack uprights. All agreed to go back to work except the Interior Steel Company. Since the Interior Steel Company’s work was virtually done, except for the simple insertion of the shelves into the slots of the uprights, I advised the Library Board that inserting shelves in the book-stack uprights was a simple procedure, being done every day by the Library’s page staff, that we could do that job ourselves.

On July 14, 1959 the Library Board notified by letter the Interior Steel Company that its refusal to comply with the decision of the National Joint Board for the Settlement of Jurisdictional Disputes was holding up the completion of the project and was cause for terminating their contract. The letter also advised that the cost of the completion of their work would be subtracted from the agreed contract price. This brought the Interior Steel people around. They decided to comply with the decision of the Jurisdictional Board. All trades went back to work, so we were able to get the renovation of the building back on schedule.

The building was completed and we were able to start moving early in August of 1959. I often wonder how we managed to get the job done with everything else that was going on at the same time. All the library furniture and equipment that that had been advertised for and contracted for with the lowest and responsible bidders was coming in as scheduled. I recall that we had furniture and equipment coming in from nineteen different companies. While dealing with the logistics of receiving and getting all the items placed properly in the right places, We were also seeing to the move of a million books and hundreds of files from the Main Library Building divisions that were being located in the annex, along with many other various and sundry items, including the printing presses and other equipment and impedimenta of the Printing Department.

With the City’s permission, the movement of the books was expedited by having a scaffolding company erect a scaffold across the ninety-one foot wide Eastman Park. It stretched from the second last window of the Science and Technology Division at the northeasterly end of the second floor of the Main Library Building to the a similar window at the northeasterly end of the annex, but at the third floor level which was in line with the window in the Main Library and luckily near the freight elevator in the annex. We had the scaffolding contractor place a conveyor belt across the entire length of the scaffold from window to window. In that way the Page staff was able to ship the books from one building to the other via the conveyor belt in nine days time.

The move was completed by the end of August. Milt Widder of the Cleveland Press wrote among other things about the move in his Saturday, August 29 column as follows” “The job of superintending the remodeling of the Public Library Annex then the moving of thousands of volumes to it was a monumental one. The actual detail headaches of the operation were the responsibility of Edward D’Alessandro, assistant librarian and business manager of the huge Cleveland system. This HALO OF THE WEEK to D’Alessandro for accomplishing the task. In his precise manner he burned the midnight oil (with many of his helpers) to bring about the renovation and moving.”

Prior to the official opening of the annex, the Library Board had voted to change the name. Since the Business Information Division and the Science and Technology Divisions were the two main divisions to occupy the building, it was decided to name the annex the Business and Science Building. Here again the vote was not unanimous. Of the six Board members present at the meeting on July 22, 1959, four voted for the change. Stanley Klonowski voted against the change and Jack Persky abstained from voting. The building from that day on became the Business and Science Building of the Cleveland Public Library by a majority vote of four.

The Building was officially opened to the public on September 17, 1959. It was a simple, low key ceremony held in front of the main entrance of the building, with Mayor Anthony Celebrezze, Mrs. Robert Damison cutting the ribbon and speaking briefly to an audience of guests made up of various civic officials, members of the Library and the Cleveland School Boards, members of the library staff, along with the general public. Following the Ribbon cutting and speeches at the entrance, Mrs. Damison, the Mayor, Library and School Board Members, officers of the Friends of the Library, Ray Lindquist and I formed a receiving line in the building lobby to receive the official guests and the public at a quiet reception with light refreshments.

By the Fall of 1959, we were ready to proceed with our project of converting the Eastman Park into an outdoor reading garden. The City of Cleveland by its Ordinance 747.59 of May 11, 1959 had leased the park to the Library, and the Division of Design and Construction of the Department of Public Properties had approved the plans and specifications as designed for us by Landscape Architect George E. Creed. Mrs. damison had gotten commitments from the Elizabeth Ring Mather Fund, the Beaumont Fund, the Cleveland Foundation, and the Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund to provide the necessary funds for the redevelopment of the park according to our plans. On October 23, 1959, the Board retained Charles Bacon Rowley and Associates to prepare the architectural designs for the iron fences, their foundations and pillars for the ornamental iron gates that Mrs. Damison had secured from the former Frances E. Drury estate on Euclid Avenue. I recall going to the Drury estate with Mrs. Damison to examine the gates to assess their condition, to see if they would be appropriate for the garden. The gates were large, beautifully designed and constructed, in need of some reconditioning and repair. We agreed, however, that they would be ideal for our project. It was my job to work out the logistics of having the gates removed, transported to and stored temporarily at our Hamilton Avenue storage Building until we could arrange for their restoration and eventual installation at the Rockwell and Superior Avenue sides of the garden.

The garden became another top priority job for me because Mrs. Damison was anxious to get the project completed as soon as possible. At the same time that the Rowley architectural firm was retained for their work on the garden, I also presented the Board bids for basin cement work, planting, and drainage work that had to be done in the park. John Florian, Landscaper as the low bidder was awarded the contract with the condition that he finish the job in thirty days! It was also at this time that the Board voted to request the City of Cleveland to introduce a resolution in Council to change the name of the Eastman Park. We presented that request through the good offices of Mayor Celebrezze. Again, the City graciously and quickly complied and that 91 foot by 202 foot piece of land that had been named Eastman Park in 1937 in honor of Linda A. Eastman before her retirement in 1938, became the Eastman Reading Garden.

While coordinating the work of the Charles Bacon Rowley Architectural and the John Florian Landscaping firms, I managed to seek and get bids from qualified iron work artisans for the restoration of the two iron gates. The Rose Irons Work Company was the successful bidder. The three firms came through meeting our deadlines for the completion of their work. In so doing
they created an amazing transformation of one of the city’s small oases in the heart of the downtown area.

In place of the old nondescript park, was a beautiful garden designed by George Creed of the Division of Design and Construction of the City of Cleveland, landscaping done by John Florian of South Euclid, Ohio, that included attractive flowering crab and Gum trees in planters, and luscious, rich green English Ivy ground cover. The new reading garden also was graced by a most unusual and attractive wall fountain at the Rockwell end of the garden that was a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Jamison, along with an armillary sundial, placed at the Superior end, given in memory of Eva Morris Baker, librarian and garden lover, by her husband and daughters. Two lovely, large jardinieres, the gift of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, were artfully placed, one at each end of the garden. The large ornamental fences, foundations and pillars designed by Charles Bacon Rowley and Associates and the beautifully” restored Drury Estate gates done by the Rose Ironworks craftsmen enclosed the garden at Superior and Rockwell Avenue sides.

The Eastman Reading Garden was officially opened for public use on May, 4, 1960. Fortunately, it was a beautiful, sunny day. Again Mrs. Jamison had planned a very simple but appropriate and tastefully orchestrated ceremony to mark the occasion. City officials, including George Creed, and others including John Florian, Charles Bacon Rowley, School and Library, Board members, Director Lindquist and I, and members of the staff were gathered in front of the gate at the Superior Avenue side. Mayor Anthony Celebrezze and Mrs. damison after cutting the ribbon, spoke briefly. In her concluding remarks Mrs. damison made a point of singling me out in the crowd, saying, “I want you all to know that this garden and the Business and Science Building next door would not have become a reality if it had not been for the dedication and hard work of our Mr.D’Alessandro. To use a carpenter’s expression, he alone knows where every nail has gone in the creation of these two projects. Our thanks must go to him!”

The following article marking the occasion appeared in The Plain Dealer on May 6, 1960. It is reprinted here with permission from The Plain Dealer ^(C)All rights reserved.

The Eastman Reading Garden soon became a popular place not only for readers and regular users of the library but also for people who worked in the offices in the area and for visitors. In addition to furnishing the garden with comfortable chairs and tables with parasols. We also had a sound system installed in the control booth of the auditorium located in the lower level of the Business and Science Building from which we piped soft, quiet, classical, semi-classical, music along with other popular, relaxing music into the park during the lunch hour from noon until 2:00 P.M. every day from May to early October of each year. It was not unusual to find every seat in the garden occupied by readers and/or workers from the nearby offices reading and eating their lunches at the parasol covered tables, enjoying the beauty of the garden and the peaceful, quiet music as well. On many nice, summer days, when all seating was taken, the overflow of readers could be seen sitting on the wide flat surfaces of the edges of the two large planter boxes under the shade of the gum trees.

My office at the time was on the fourth floor of the main library building at the east side, overlooking the reading garden. On occasion I would look out at a heartwarming scene similar to the one that I have just described, and think back to the time when I too saw the kind of disturbing scene that was reported by the Plain Dealer article. The misusers of the old park were no longer there. The gates were kept closed. Access to the garden during the day and evening hours of the library was through the doorway that had been created where once a large double window had existed in the old Plain Dealer Building close to the Superior Avenue end of the garden. At night after hours, the garden was protected from what had gone before by the high ornamental fence and locked gates.

I was very proud of the way the Eastman Reading Garden had turned out, and have looked back on its creation as one of the best experiences that I have been privileged to have had a part in the years that I was associated with the Cleveland Public Library. The citizens of Cleveland past, present and future owe a great debt of gratitude to Mrs. Robert H. Damison and former Mayor Anthony Celebrezze for making possible this lasting achievement. Although the garden had to be temporarily closed and used as construction storage space for the construction of the Stokes wing the present Library Board and administration are to be commended for its restoration and reopening.

I would err gravely at this point in my story if I did not also express my thanks to Mrs. Robert H. Damison not only for her foresight in spearheading the leasing of the city’s park land to be maintained in perpetuity as a reading garden for the people of Cleveland, but also for the purchase of the old Plain Dealer Building and the land it stood on, in that way not only providing a Main Library addition (The Business and Science Building) which served the citizens of Cleveland well over thirty years, but which also provided the site on which the Stokes Wing has been built. The citizens of Cleveland and the Library Boards and their administrations present and future should realize that they also owe Mrs. Robert H. Damison a vote of thanks for that accomplishment as well.

I am personally especially grateful to Mrs. Damison and to Director Lindquist for having given me the opportunity and privilege to be a part of their team during a period in the Library’s history that provided difficult but exciting challenges and accomplishments, a period which has been given scant notice by past Cleveland Public Library historians.

I also am thankful for all those very dedicated Cleveland Public Library staff members who worked with and helped me during that period, from those who served in the top echelons of the administration, including those who served as Branch Librarians, Department and Division Heads, Library Assistants, Maintenance personnel, Pages, etc., whether they served in the Main Library or in the branch libraries. To them must go a great deal of the credit for what was accomplished at the time. Although a lot was accomplished between the years 1956 and 1970. The published record thus far for some unknown reason has given that period in the history of the Cleveland Public Library short shrift.

In addition to the acquiring of the old Plain Dealer Building and converting it into a second Main Library building, and the leasing of the Eastman Park and converting it into the Eastman Reading Garden, there have been other major accomplishments in the library’s outreach.

Toward the end of 1963 population growth in the West 140th and Puritas Avenue Area of the city indicated that it was logical and proper for the Cleveland Public Library to establish a branch library there. The Library bookmobile had been serving the area for some time at a location that had been provided by the Ascension Catholic Church School in its parking lot at 4400 East 140th Street. It was a community filled with young families, with many growing children, including mine. The nearest library branch at the time was the West Park Branch located at 3805 West 157th Street and Lorain Avenue. Bookmobile statistics showed that it was time to build a branch in that area.

A sizable parcel of vacant land adjacent to the playground of the old Puritas Public Elementary School located at the corner of East 140th and Puritas Avenue was available. The property belonged to the Cleveland School Board. I lost no time in bringing that parcel to the attention of the board. Shortly after the Library Board approved locating a branch in the area, Henry Schneider who was at the time Chairman of the Library Board Building Committee telephoned me around 7:00 A.M. on the morning of October 14, 1963 to advise me that he had managed to get the Board of Education to agree to release a portion of the large parcel for a library branch building. He advised that the School Board was to meet the following morning, that I should immediately go to the site and measure how much of the property we would need to build the size building that I felt we should have in that area. He said that I should have a finished drawing with the required dimensions in his hands by 8:00 A.M. the following morning for him to present to the School Board at their meeting. You can imagine my thoughts on that morning. Fortunately for me, I had lived in the area for thirteen years and knew it and its people well, and had a good sense of how much use a branch would have in that location, having been active in the elementary, junior and senior high school parent teachers associations, and community as a whole.

The morning of October 14, was not a very good morning to be out measuring land for a building. We had awakened to our first big snowfall of the year. It was a heavy one and it was still snowing by the time I was able to get Val Sopko the Library’s Chief Engineer to meet me at the site to help me take the measurements. Val an I accomplished the task wearing heavy winter coats, gloves and high top snow boots. I remember that at some points in the snow drifts, we were up to our knees in snow as we measured. I recall that upon finishing, driving downtown to my office and spending the rest of the day making the finished drawing that Mr. Schneider had requested I have ready for him the next morning. With it, he was able to convince the School Board of our need. He got the property, and we built the Rockport Branch Library located at 4421 West 140th Street. It was opened to the public on August 3, 1964.

For some time after the Business and Science Building had been in operation, I had had my eye on the double dock area at the ground level of the Rockwell Avenue side of the building. I kept playing around with the idea that it would be easy to convert the easterly portion into a drive-up book return. I kept drawing rough sketches of what I envisioned until I finished one that I finally felt might pass muster with Mr. Lindquist and the Library Board. To my surprise, they approved the idea. I lost no time in getting professional architectural drawings and construction bids. Construction was completed without a hitch.

The drive-up book return became a reality in 1965. Like the Eastman Reading Garden, it too became one of the most popular facilities of the Main Library complex. It was open from Monday through Saturday during the library’s regular hours. Readers were not only able to return books there but also to order books and other library materials in advance for pick-up the following day. This was another first among the Library’s long list of firsts. The 1960’s also saw the beginnings of the computerization of the Cleveland Public Library, the building of new branch buildings and many improvements made in the physical plant of the Main Library and its older branch library buildings.

In the Spring of 1965, the Library Board sent me to the University of Illinois to take a course in the computerization of libraries to prepare me to start automating the library’s procedures. I was one of thirty people from libraries all over the country enrolled in a course that had been geared specifically to train librarians to bring their libraries into the computer age. Although the course only lasted about a month, it crammed into us what amounted to that which is normally taught in a semester. We were taught the computer language known as fortran, we learned all about software, hardware, programming, key punching etc., etc. I recall working with my classmates as late as midnight on many evenings struggling through various computer assignments and problems, at the same time trying to read and absorb long reading assignments in our textbook. You can rest assured that it was a struggle for all of us. It had been so many- years since we had been students. We had forgotten how to study efficiently, so much so that we formed study groups. In that way we were able to master our often very dull long reading assignments and complete our computer problems in the computer lab successfully. Suffice it to say, we completed the course and were awarded certificates to prove that we had passed the course.

On May 19, 1965, the Library Board authorized the establishment of the library’s first data processing center. The goal being to automate in phases, following the hiring of a qualified technically proficient staff. The library was to be automated in the following phases: Phase I, the payroll and the library’s business operations, Phase II, Serial Records, Phase II, Book Ordering, Phase III, Cataloging, Phase IV, Lending procedures. Patron access to the library’s resources via computer was to be tackled after the first four phases had been accomplished successfully. We began by leasing the equipment from IBM for the remainder of 1965 and for 1966. The initial cost was $7,284.00. The first equipment was an IBM 1410 computer and printer along with key punch equipment, all of which was the state of the art at the time. Looking back on all that now that I find myself producing this book on my desk top computer and printer, I can’t help marveling at the changes that have occurred in this technology in a little over thirty years, and can’t help referring to that old 1410 and the key punch machine and other early equipment as dinosaurs. Be that as it may, we did manage to begin automating the Cleveland Public Library in 1965. However small, we started it all!

The year 1965 also was the year that we were able to take over the property located at 7906-7910 Detroit Avenue that had been willed to the Library by Dr. Frank. W. Walz. It was a large plot of land that extended from Detroit Avenue back to Lake Avenue, which provided enough space on the Detroit Avenue side to build a good size branch library building. Its neighbor across the street was the old Saint John hospital. Three wood frame structures had occupied the Detroit Avenue side of the Walz property. Dr. Walz had been an old time horse and buggy doctor who had practiced medicine for many years in one of the two homes that occupied the Detroit Avenue frontage. The larger of the three had been the family home and the smaller one had been his office. The third structure at the rear of the homes was the doctor’s carriage house where his horse and buggy had been kept. By the time that we took over the property, the larger home had been razed. The smaller home wa still occupied and rented by an elderly woman, and her daughter, who had been serving as the caretakers of the property after the doctor’s death and since their were no heirs. The doctor in his later years, I understood had been a regular user of the Cleveland Public Library and had been a friend of Library Director Clarence Metcalf.

When the tenants vacated the property in May of 1965, the Library board authorized the razing of the little house and the carriage house to make way for a branch library building to be named in honor of Doctor Walz. Before the house was torn down, I recall taking Ray Lindquist out to see the property. As we explored the empty house, we found what we thought might have been a secret hideaway for the doctor’s money and valuables in a clothes closet in one of the bedrooms. The lower part of the back wall of the closet was covered with wood paneling. I recall touching one of the panels to feel the finish because of its unusual texture. To my surprise several panels suddenly slid up revealing a built-in, empty wooden box. We could only surmise that the good doctor had used the secret hideaway for his cash and valuables.

The Hargett-Hoag Architectural Associates had been hired on January 20, 1965 to design and oversee the construction of the Frank W. Walz Branch, so we were able to proceed with securing the bids for its construction immediately.

Early in February 1966, the Library Board had also approved our plan to refurbish the old Hough Branch. Like a Cinderella story, the inside was not only totally renovated but also replenished with’ $10,000 worth of new children’s books. It was renovated as a treasure house of reading materials for children, The old Hough Branch formally became the Treasure House Branch on March 13, 1966.

For a long time we had been wanting to make the Main Library book return desk more accessible to the public. We decided to convert the checkroom at the main entrance of the Main Library Building to such a facility. Following board approval on June 15, 1966, we were able mostly by in-house labor and our own resources to create that facility quickly. As a result from 1966 on users of the Main Library have been able to return their books at the front door as soon as they walk into the building.

Ground was broken for the new Walz Branch on June 2 7, 1966, and was opened to the public on March 12, 196 7. It remains a perpetual memorial to Frank IN. Walz, M.D., where he not only lived and served people as one of the last of his kind, providing the kind of personal care and healing that we old-timers recall with great nostalgia. I feel proud that I as the library’s agent drew the duty of seeing that this most fitting monument to the good doctor became a reality.

On January 1, 1967, the Library Board on Ray Lindquist’s recommendation had promoted me to Deputy Director, again with the understanding that I continue to carry the responsibilities of a business manager. Earlier I had developed and presented two five year plans for making much needed repairs and capital improvements in the library’s buildings to the Library Board and to the Cuyahoga County Budget Commission and competed with the other library systems for intangible tax residue funds as they became available from 1956 on to cover the cost.

Between the years 1956 and 1970, the Budget Commission agreed with and approved my requests for such funds generously. Those funds made it possible to replace the old and in many cases defective coal boilers in every one of the branch buildings with new and more efficient gas furnaces, to replace old wiring and electric light fixtures, to replace worn floor coverings, to replace bad roofs, plumbing, and to do major plaster repairs and painting in the Main Library and virtually all of the branch libraries. The Budget Commission was convinced to grant the funds required to replace deteriorated down spouts within the walls of the Main Library that had been causing severe water damage to many wall areas in the building when presented pieces of broken and corroded pieces of down spouts as evidence during a budget hearing.

Intangible tax residue tax funds for building new branch library buildings were also sought. In the spring of 1967, the Budget Commission allocated $429,828.95 from the 1966 Intangibles Tax Residue. $350,000 was awarded for building a new branch library building in the University Circle area to replace the inadequate Euclid-l00 Street Branch that had existed in rented quarters in small rooms on the rear of the second floor of a store building located at East 101st and Euclid Avenue since the early thirties, and to replace the less used Alta House and the Cedar Branches. The remaining $79,828.95 was allocated for sidewalk repairs around the Business and Science Building and various other repairs in the Main Library Building and in the branches.

At the same time, we had been negotiating with the City for a site for the proposed new branch in the University Circle area. On May 18, 196 7, I advised the board that I had met with Mayor Ralph Locher to discuss our request that the site of the old Elysium owned by the City be deeded free of charge to the library as a possible location for the new branch library in the Circle. Mayor Locher had received our request in a cooperative and friendly manner and had referred the matter to Layton Washburn the City’s Director for City Planning.

When it became evident that the City was not going to give the Library the Elysium site, we looked for and found another site for purchase at a reasonable price. Another site located at Reserve Court and East 107th Street was found.

On December 21, 196 7, with Board approval we requested $131,000 from the Intangibles Tax Residue of that year from the Budget Commission. We were able to convince the Commission that we needed that amount mainly to help with the building of the proposed new branch library in University Circle. Our request was broken down as follows” $50,000 to help toward the purchase of the site, $59,000 for its book stacks, steel shelving and furniture and equipment, and $22,000 to be used for roof and side walk repairs at the Brooklyn, Carnegie West, East 79th, Jefferson, Rice and Superior Branch Libraries.

At the same time as co-owners of the Alta House Library property, we negotiated with the Alta House Social Settlement Board of Trustees to transfer our share of the property over to that Board for the sum of $50,000 with the provision that the transfer occur at the end of 196 7, those funds to be added to the University Circle Regional Library building fund.

The Library board also settled on the parcel of land in the Circle near the Fifth District Police Station, known as Parcel No. 119-20-17, located at 1962 East Assistant Director and Deputy Director 181 107th Street now known as Stokes Boulevard. We had it quickly appraised and the Library Board committed itself to its purchase for the sum of $174,000 before December 31, 1967.