Page 186 - Demo

Institutional and Private LibrariesStudy and Library%u2014%u2014General Lew Wallace Home%u2014%u2014Crawfordsville, IndianaBuilt in 1895. Now the Lew Wallace Study and Museum.During the Civil War, General Lew Wallace commanded Union soldiers in several major battles. Later, he participated in a military commission that investigated and prosecuted John Wilkes Booth%u2019s accomplices in the assassination of President Lincoln.In time, Wallace returned to his home state of Indiana and began practicing law (which he disliked) and writing novels and biographies (which he enjoyed). In 1880, while serving as New Mexico%u2019s Territorial governor, he finished Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ, which was published that same year. At first it sold poorly, but soon became a bestseller which has never been out-of-print. His political interests led to a U.S. Ministership to Turkey%u2019s Ottoman Empire, and his eclectic interests included inventing, art, and music.Fifty yards from his beloved retirement home in Crawfordsville (which was, decades later, grotesquely remodeled by later owners into a ranch-style house), Wallace had his Study/Library built. Costing a staggering $30,000, it was a combination of Romanesque, Byzantine, and Periclean Greek styles, constructed of concrete and steel, with brick walls, limestone porches and a carved wrap-around frieze. The exterior decoration has four bas-relief faces of characters from his novels, with Judah Ben-Hur over the entrance. The building%u2019s copper roof was topped with a cupola.Rising 40 feet, the structure%u2019s tower had two stainedglass windows and contained a water tank to supply a basement bathroom. The full basement had round porthole windows on the east side that provided sunlight for the workbench where Wallace created his nine inventions. It also housed a furnace and space for a carriage. Originally, the east side of the Library/Study had a moat stocked with fish. But, concerned about the foundation%u2019s integrity, and the safety of neighborhood children, Wallace had it filled in.On its main floor, the Study/Library had electric and gas lights, a gas fireplace, an on-demand water-heating system, and a lavatory. Additional amenities included white-oak bookcases on three walls, and a frosted-andstained-glass skylight for natural illumination. Wallace said he built his study because he wanted %u201ca pleasure-house for my soul.%u201d