Ogden Museum of Southern Art and Taylor Library
Why is it significant?
Arrive before the magnificent architectural pairing of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the historic Patrick F. Taylor Library at 925 Camp Street.
Key Facts
| Place | Ogden Museum of Southern Art and Taylor Library |
|---|---|
| Address | 925 Camp St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States |
| Geo Coordinates | 29.94380, -90.07150 |
| Part of Walk | Warehouse and Arts District to Mississippi Riverfront: The American Sector |
| Generated | Generated |
Arrive before the magnificent architectural pairing of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the historic Patrick F. Taylor Library at 925 Camp Street. Completed in 1889 to designs by Henry Hobson Richardson—one of the greatest architects in American history, who was born on a Louisiana plantation near New Orleans—the Taylor Library is the sole building in the American South designed by Richardson, showcasing his world-famous Richardsonian Romanesque style.
Look at the monumental stone carving: built from massive blocks of rough-faced Massachusetts sandstone and Louisiana red granite, the library features a dramatic semicircular reading room, deep Syrian entry arches, and hand-carved stone gargoyles and floral grotesques.
Richardson died in 1886 at age forty-seven while completing the drawings, and his Boston successor firm Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge finished the library, originally dedicated as the Howard Memorial Library. Richardson drew upon the rich vernacular masonry of medieval southern France, creating a stone fortress of learning that shielded rare manuscripts from subtropical humidity and urban fires. In 2003, this historic stone masterpiece was integrated into the newly opened Ogden Museum of Southern Art, housed in the adjacent modern Goldring Hall designed by architects EskewDumezRipple. Holding the largest and most comprehensive collection of Southern art in the world, the Ogden preserves over four thousand works spanning fifteen Southern states from 1733 to the present day. Highlights include masterpieces by Clementine Hunter, Walter Anderson, William Dunlap, and George Dureau, chronicling the rich visual history, diverse cultures, and complex racial tapestry of the American South.
Gazing upon Richardson's rugged stone arches juxtaposed against Goldring Hall's luminous glass-and-steel facade, you witness a masterclass in architectural dialogue across three centuries. The Ogden celebrates the profound soul and storytelling power of Southern visual artists.
Walk southwest along Magazine Street toward the soaring campus of The National WWII Museum.