Even if the event happened in silence that day, a great hue and cry likely arose the following Monday morning when staff came to work at the library. The beautiful, custom-designed chandelier that had lighted the stunning rotunda space would not twinkle again.

A permanent indentation on the front edge of the adult circulation desk marking the point of impact; the blueprint followed by craftsmen to create the massive fixture; some photos of the rotunda on opening day in 1937; and a few salvaged pieces are the only reminders that the rotunda was ever illuminated by anything other than fluorescent tubes hanging in a suspended ceiling.

Perhaps the expense was too great in the 1960s to replace the chandelier after it plunged to the floor. Maybe the amount of light it provided was no longer adequate for staff to comfortably read the hundreds of book cards which needed to be alphabetized or put in Dewey Decimal order and then sorted by due date. Or, it might have been that the allure of a more modern lighting style overrode affection for the grand old fixture.

Library staff will soon begin poring through Board meeting minutes of that era to piece together the decision-making process that radically altered the appearance of the main building's first floor.

Phillip Elum, Library Board President, commented that the Trustees have wanted for several years to re-open the rotunda and restore the dome, but that other more pressing expenditures have always put the project on hold. The Board kicks off its fund-raising efforts to make this dream a reality on November 8 at a Pasta Dinner at Santangelo's Restaurant. It will likely take 3-5 years to raise adequate funds for the project.

An attic peep-hole, about 8 inches square, is all that allows one to see into the blemished, but still elegant, dome's interior. Respected Cleveland architect William Albrecht, who designed many residences in Massillon, also designed the towering rotunda and west wing of the library to link the "new" library space to the Duncan House on the east which was built in the 1820s.

Rods and wires holding up the suspended ceiling panels and lighting fixtures mar the dome's appearance above the ceiling panels, but that damage can be repaired. The four windows around the dome are intact, and natural light will one day again flood this awesome space.

To get an idea of the height from the first floor to the top of the dome's interior, persons visiting the library should stand beside the circulation desk now and look upward to the suspended ceiling. The distance between the floor and present suspended ceiling is equal to the distance between the suspended ceiling and the top of the dome's interior.

Many years ago, a library patron told Director Camille Leslie that her father had been part of the federal government's Works Project Administration team that worked on the dome. That patron's name has been lost, and Mrs. Leslie would like to hear from her again, as well as from others who may remember the dome and its construction.

2007 marks the Main Library building's 70th year. It opened to the public in October 1937. The Pasta Dinner at Santangelo's will be a birthday part of sorts for the library. The Library Board invites everyone interested in helping restore the dome to buy tickets ($9.00 for adults and $8.00 for children under 12--dessert and beverage included) and enjoy a lovely meal and an exciting basket raffle from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. November 8.

Baskets donated by Board members, staff and local merchants are on display in the rotunda from now until November 8. Santangelo's Restaurant is located at 1008 9th Street, S. W., Massillon.