Columbus main library branch has art, holiday train, other attractions
The Columbus Metropolitan Library is more than books – something that’s apparent every day but especially at the holidays.
The main library located Downtown is in festive shape with a Christmas tree made of books, a merry diorama of woodland creatures and the Huntington Holiday Train – celebrating its 30th anniversary – all on display in the lobby.
About the Huntington Holiday Train
The train was built in 1992 by Paul Busse, who also designed the Garden Railway at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The original home of the Holiday Train was the Huntington Bank Downtown.
Since 2009, the train has been shown during the holidays at the library with the exception of the library’s 2015 renovation year and the 2020 year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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At the library, the train covers more than 600 square feet, has more than 280 feet of train track, 50 pounds of “snow” and multiple trains traveling through the layers of the exhibit.
Busse designed the buildings after real churches, homes and stores in Bavarian towns in Germany and constructed them all of natural materials including bark, leaves, seeds, pinecones and moss. There’s a castle, a cathedral and a waterfall. He created miniature townspeople, vendors and children who gather and watch the trains pass by.
At the library’s holiday open house earlier this month, the more than 4,000 people attending enjoyed this year’s version of the train.
“It’s assembled a little different every year and it’s magic every year,” said Ben Zenitsky, media specialist for the library.
Charming ‘Weasel Burrow’ still a big hit
When my adult daughters were little, one of our holiday traditions was visiting “Weasel Burrow” at the main library. Created in 1990 by design students at Columbus College of Art & Design, the charming diorama has stood the test of time.
The detailed, glass-encased scene this year is located on the first floor, in the children’s area of the library. Throughout the clever landscape, anthropomorphic critters – turtles, squirrels, rabbits, mice, birds, beavers and of course, weasels – celebrate Christmas.
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In their underground house, little forest creatures gather near a Christmas tree and a fireplace, mice toddlers sleep in a cozy bedroom, a mama squirrel tends to dinner at the stove, a toad takes a bath, and a little bunny wanders around in pink bunny slippers.
Above ground, a group of turtles and rabbits sing carols, a chipmunk skates on an icy pond, and a big beaver seems stuck trying to get out of a tree hole. The whole scene is a delight with unending characters to look at.
More art at the library
While the holiday attractions continue only through Jan. 8, many more art works can be found year-round at the Main Library and 22 branch libraries.
Through Ohio’s Percent for Art program in new and renovated buildings and the library system’s own portion of renovation budgets dedicated to art works, many paintings, sculptures, photographs and works in other mediums are displayed.
Among these at the main library is Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson’s colorful “Sellsville & Blackberry Patch” mural ascending the lobby staircase; Todd Slaughter’s suspended sculpture “Vanitas” in the atrium; Virginia Overton’s outdoor sculptures on the east plaza made from marble salvaged from the library’s 2015-16 renovation; Ann Hamilton’s ink jet prints “book weight” located near bookshelves and much more. These attractive and stimulating works of art add a visual dimension to the powerful media force of the library.
At a glance
The Huntington Holiday Train and Weasel Burrow continue through Jan. 8 at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, 96 S. Grant Ave. Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. The library will be closed Dec. 25, 26, and 31, and Jan. 1 and 2. Visit www.columbuslibrary.org.
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