Beginning in 1901 in two rented rooms in the Gardener Building downtown and progressing to a house on Madison Avenue and 13th Street where the director lived upstairs, the Toledo Museum of Art landed in its current location in 1912, and in acknowledgement, held a party Tuesday.
The museum as we know it today has evolved (seven buildings on 36 acres) since the central portion of the main building was constructed beginning in 1909.
It features a sweeping, horizontal facade faced with Vermont marble; a low, copper-clad roof that has developed a green patina; 16 fluted columns facing a majestic stairway cascading down to Monroe Street, and classical details inspired by ancient Greece. On land donated by Edward and Florence Libbey, it made the citizenry proud, standing among old oaks and beeches with a fountain and terrace in front, and inside, a sculpture court, 12 galleries, classrooms, and two offices.
The architect was prolific Edward B. Green of Buffalo, who designed 370 major structures during his long career, including art museums in Buffalo and Dayton. Green was invited back in 1925 and 1933 to design complementary additions to the museum, including the Peristyle theater.
In 2001, the museum celebrated its centennial to the hilt, including hosting an elegant ball attended by the governor who read a congratulatory letter from President Bush, and the kick off of a $60 million fund-raising campaign that paid for the $30 million Glass Pavilion across the street.
Last week’s modest, happy party drew about 350 guests, staff, and children. Among the four giving remarks was Susan Palmer, director of development, who read a passage from Nina Spalding Stevens’ book, A Man & A Dream: The Book of George W. Stevens, about her husband who was the first museum director.
As Florence Scott Libbey was a full partner to Edward in founding the museum and bequeathing its sustaining fortune, so was Nina a partner to George in doing the day-to-day-work to get the place going and defining its "by the people, for the people" philosophy. She served as assistant director and dean of its art school.
Of Jan. 17, 1912 she wrote (with subtle glee):
"The great evening arrived and we stood in line to receive, George in his wheel chair. The guards and police, ready at the door to take the cards of admission, were soon pushed aside by the great outpouring of people with no cards. The Toledo Public was taking over its own Museum. All that could be done was to keep them in line as they came in the front doors and went out the basement. All plans for a member’s reception had to be abandoned on the instant.
"Late in the evening, when a way could be cleared into one of the galleries, a gold key of the city in a glass and gold casket was presented to Mr. Libbey. Fifty thousand citizens had signed a testimonial to him."
The star of Tuesday’s show was the cake, an amazing replica of the 1912 building. Cakemakers Paula and Roger Daugherty of Sylvania, spent five days creating it. He researched the building’s history and used its floor plan to design the cake to scale. Late one night they visited the museum, measuring tools in hand, to record details such as the size of its marble blocks and windows.
To embellish the roof line accurately, she made 93 small white-chocolate candies in the shapes of leaves and lion heads, painted them with copper-colored Lustre Dust, and carefully attached each. He scored marble blocks in the icing, and even carved sills on the windows behind the columns. She baked a pan of Rice Krispy treats that they cut to size to use for supports behind those windows. Columns and stairs weren’t edible but were covered with fondant, a thick frosting.
At four-feet wide, 18-inches deep, and 12 to 14-inches tall, the cake required 24 cake mixes and 72 eggs. And everyone wanted a piece, said Dave Urban, membership sales manager.
The 100th visitor that day, James R. Bauman of West Toledo, won a gift package including a membership and four free classes.
Contact Tahree Lane at 419-724-6075 and tlane@theblade.com.
First Published January 22, 2012, 5:15 a.m.
