02/20/09

Photo Gallery: Hawkes Library

This location has not yet been visited.

Also called the Hawkes Free Children's Library, it is an important building because it is an example of the early work of Neel Reid who was one of the most significant Atlanta architects of this century. Albert King Hawkes of Atlanta visualized children's libraries and theaters in Georgia towns. Construction began in 1915 at a site on the Griffin High School campus. The building opened on November 28, 1916. Hawkes had built libraries in Grantville, Roswell, and other Georgia towns, but the Griffin library was his first large experiment in providing both literary and visual facilities since it included a second-floor motion picture auditorium. Hawkes hoped to build more libraries if Griffin's was successful, but he died before he could accomplish it. The library served as the headquarters for the Flint River Regional Library until a new library was completed on Memorial Drive.

The Hawkes Library is a rectangular brick structure detailed in white wood and limestone which was inspired by Georgia's colonial past. The upstairs auditorium has been adapted to stacks and a reading room.