HISTORY: The Library that Wasn’t Built; Winn Par., Louisiana
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Submitter: Cargle Branch, Jr.
Date: 23 Mar 2007
 


Robert Noonan Walsh, an architect for the firm of Nolan, Norman and Nolan of New Orleans, Louisiana and
a former Winnfield resident, had submitted designs through his company and had received the bid for two
buildings in Winnfield--the Winn Parish Courthouse and the Bank of Winnfield.  In a national “Designing
around Air Conditioning” (1953) contest, Walsh won 2nd place for his design which included his
trademark modern architecture with flat roof.  In Walsh’s drawing of the library he deviated from his
tendency of flat roofs and modern designs.  This design was never used and found in his files after his
death.

In 1962 bids were requested by the Winn Parish Police Jury for a new library that was to be built.
Robert Walsh responded to the call.  In Walsh’s drawing of the library he deviated from his tendency of
flat roofs and modern designs.  He chose to submit a plan that would nearly resemble a small home.
Though not shown in the drawing included here, the front and back are identical in the architectural
plans with the raised steps and windows on each side.  The outside was to be a wood siding with an
asbestos shingled roof.  The building  had a total of 768 square feet with a reading room and shelves
to house 33,000 books.

A study of this design was puzzling to this submitter since it did not seem compatible with the
surrounding downtown architectural style.  Only when searching through the newspapers of that time
period was it discovered that the new library was to be a branch library located at Sikes and  not the
downtown Winnfield library as first believed!  The new library design chosen replaced a wooden building
that had been built in the 1940s and could only hold some 2,500 volumes.  The inside colors were done
in tans, browns, and oranges with natural paneling and tiled floors.  The contract price was $6,000.
Eventually all four branch libraries were built using the same design.  The only difference was that
the Sikes and Dodson Branch libraries have yellow brick and the Calvin and Atlanta Branch libraries
have a dark red brick.

Mrs. Mary Doherty, who became the Library Director on 1 April 1991, stated that renovations were done
to the inside of the branch libraries about 7 years ago.  Then, in approximately 2003, outside
renovations were done when the trim was painted, metal awnings, and flower boxes were added.  Below is
a photograph of the library as it is today