Richardson was so esteemed for his design aesthetic that an entire architectural style was named after him: Richardsonian Romanesque. The Howard Memorial Library is a classic example of it. The exterior was dark brown stone from the Kibbe quarry in Massachusetts; the red terra cotta roof tiles came from Akron, Ohio. The interior was crafted primarily with white oak, polished to gleaming and illuminated under chandeliers, with gray sandstone accents.
Charles T. Howard was a New Orleans businessman who organized the Louisiana Lottery in 1869, as well as a founder of Metairie Cemetery. He earned a reputation as a philanthropist as well, using his income from lottery dealings. He had been working toward building and funding a public library in New Orleans connected to Tulane University, but died from a carriage fall in 1885 before he could move forward with it. After his death, his daughter Annie decided to see the plan to completion in honor of her father.
Annie’s brother Frank consulted with Tulane and purchased a lot at the corner of Camp and Delord (changed to Howard Ave., and now Andrew Higgins Ave.) Streets where the library would be built. Construction was underway by the end of 1887.
The building design had been chosen by Charles before his death. World-renowned architect H.H. Richardson, a native of New Orleans, had created a design for a library in Michigan that was not used; Howard bought it for his New Orleans library.
Charles Alexander Nelson, previously working at the Astor Library in New York, was hired as head librarian. He built a staff of local ladies in the months preceding the opening to help arrange and catalog items, and had almost 10,000 books ready on opening day. A large focus of the collection was scientific works related to Southern industries.
Howard Memorial Library was dedicated in 1889 on the late Howard’s birthday: March 4 – which also happened to be Lundi Gras. The Monday night ceremonies included an opening prayer from Bishop Gallaher, a letter from the Howard family, a poem by the famous New Orleans poet Mary Ashley Townsend, an oration by U.S. District Court Judge Edward Billings, and a benediction by the Rev. I.L. Laucht. The library formally opened on Ash Wednesday.
Howard Library’s collection was merged into the Tilton Library on Tulane’s campus in 1938, and is now known as the Howard-Tilton Library. The Richardson-designed building is now a part of Ogden Museum of Southern Art, known as the Patrick F. Taylor Library; it is used primarily as an event space.
