The Quadrangle
Encyclopedia
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, on Chestnut Street in Metro Center
Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Metro Center is the original colonial settlement of Springfield, Massachusetts, located beside a bend in the Connecticut River. As of 2011, Metro Center features a majority of Western Massachusetts' most important cultural, business, and civic venues...
. Five museums and the Springfield City Library surround the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden. On the corner of Chestnut and State Streets, Merrick Park is distinguished by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Augustus Saint-Gaudens was the Irish-born American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who most embodied the ideals of the "American Renaissance"...
"The Puritan
The Puritan (Springfield)
The Puritan is a bronze statue by sculptor Augustus St. Gaudens in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, which later became so popular that it was reproduced for over 20 other cities, museums, universities, and private collectors around the world. Augustus Saint-Gaudens was one of the most influential...
," a statue depicting one of Springfield's settlers, Deacon Samuel Chapin
Deacon Samuel Chapin
Deacon Samuel Chapin was one of the founders of Springfield, Massachusetts.He was born in Paignton, Devon, England, to John Chapin and Phillippe Easton on October 8, 1598....
. Also located near that edge of the Quadrangle is the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts
Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts
The Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the five western counties of Massachusetts. Formed from a division of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, it was officially recognized at the organizing convention of...
' Christ Church Cathedral. The Roman Catholic St. Michael's Cathedral
St. Michael's Cathedral, Springfield
St. Michael's Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts, United States.Located on State Street in Springfield, Massachusetts, the cathedral was built in the 1860s based on plans from noted architect Patrick Keely of Brooklyn, New York.It was...
adjoins the neo-classical Springfield City Library at the southeast corner of the Quadrangle.
Springfield City Library
The Central Library, constructed in 1913, was paid for by Andrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
. It is the second library to be built at that location. The nonfiction department is based in Rice Hall, consisting of a main floor and mezzanine. Opposite Rice Hall is the Arts and Music Hall, where multimedia, periodicals, and the computer lab are based. The circulation desk lies in the rotunda between the two halls. Fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, children's literature, and community rooms are in the basement. The Central Library also has a Teen Advisory Board — a grouping of teenagers who help make decisions and organize events at the library geared towards teenagers.
George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum
The George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum is the oldest museum on the Quadrangle. The museum is named for the collection's original owner. Its exhibits express the taste of Smith and his wife, Belle, and they bequeathed their notable collection to begin the museum.The Ancient Treasures Gallery displays objects from ancient Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. The gallery also presents Greek and Roman sculpture from the recently-acquired Blake/Purnell Collection of antiquities, and ancient Chinese ceramics and bronzes from the Bidwell Collection. Greek pottery and glass from the George Walter Vincent Smith Collection complement the classical sculptures.
The Japanese Arms and Armor Gallery, in addition to holding Smith's extensive collection of Oriental armor, is the site of an ornate Shinto wheel shrine carved during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Among other collections is a 150-piece holding of Chinese cloisonne
Cloisonné
Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects, in recent centuries using vitreous enamel, and in older periods also inlays of cut gemstones, glass, and other materials. The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné...
work, one of the most extensive collections outside of China.
Michele & Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts
John Singleton Copley
John Singleton Copley was an American painter, born presumably in Boston, Massachusetts, and a son of Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Irish. He is famous for his portrait paintings of important figures in colonial New England, depicting in particular middle-class subjects...
and lithographs of Currier & Ives. Works by Degas, Monet, and others can be found in the European collection. The Museum features many interactive exhibits as well.
Connecticut Valley Historical Museum
The Connecticut Valley Historical Museum offers exhibits detailing the history of the Pioneer ValleyPioneer Valley
The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial name for the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts's portion of the Connecticut River Valley. The Pioneer Valley consists of three counties in Massachusetts which collectively feature much of New England's most fertile farmland...
from 1636 up to the present. As of October, 2009, it is temporarily closed for renovations.
Springfield Science Museum
The Springfield Science Museum displays elements of natural and physical science from the Eco-Center featuring live animals, to the African Hall, which gives visitors a ground-sky perspective of an ecosystem on the SavannaSavanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
h. Dinosaur Hall includes a lifesize Tyrannosaurus rex
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
model and skeletons from other dinosaurs. The museum also features a planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
– the first built in the United States, and one of the very few of the era not built by Zeiss – and earth science exhibits.
Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden
The Quadrangle's perimeter was at one time open to vehicles, but was closed off in the 1990s, becoming a pedestrian-only park. Soon after that, the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture GardenDr. Seuss Memorial
The Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden is a sculpture garden in Springfield, Massachusetts. Located at The Quadrangle – an extraordinary cultural grouping that features three world-class museums and two regional history museums – the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden honors the...
was opened. Several statues depicting Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
and many of his creations were sculpted and placed on the Quadrangle green.
Museum of Springfield History
The newest museum at the Quadrangle is The Museum of Springfield HIstory. It opened in the fall of 2009 on the former site of famed painter James MacNeill Whistler's childhood home. It tells the story of Springfield, and in particular, highlights its role as The City of Progress and The City of Firsts. It features exhibits on the numerous inventions and pioneering manufacturing techniques innovated there, the city's role in American history, as well as examining Springfield in a broader context as a city during various eras, (e.g. different wars, several mass immigrations, and changing transportation technology.) Exhibits of antique cars and firearms, formerly housed at the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum, in addition to an impressive collection of classic Indian motorcyclesIndian (motorcycle)
Indian is an American brand of motorcycles. Indian motorcycles were manufactured from 1901 to 1953 by a company in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, initially known as the Hendee Manufacturing Company but which was renamed the Indian Manufacturing Company in 1928. The Indian factory team took the...
, showcase the city's various industries. The museum also has its own library filled with historical paper and documents, including genealogical records.