Penrose Library “Objects” – Egg Chairs and Megaforms

April 4th, 2013

Penrose Library, dedicated in 1972, had a distinctly modern and futuristic set of design choices.

Sally Hemmings of the University Park News Sentinel described Penrose Library as the antithesis of a traditional library, with its “terrible academic silence seeming to scowl on all who enter.” Hemmings noted the “bright bold color…furnishings and decor, and a prevailing impression of space and light,” that “gives one the feeling more of being inside a modern, avant-garde gallery than a library.”

The furniture in Penrose, especially the much-beloved “egg chair,” and the library’s “megaforms” matched this functional and futuristic design aesthetic perfectly.

‘Megaforms’

The bright-orange main level contained many of what Gyo Obata, the library’s architect, called “megaforms” – tiers of different levels, covered with carpet, with seat backs formed by the next higher level, on which students could sprawl out, sit on, or use as they wished.

Penrose Library megaforms, circa 1972

Eero Aarnio Ball Chair, circa 1972

The ‘Egg Chair’

Affectionately known among patrons of Penrose Library as the “egg chair,” this 1963 design by Finnish designer Eero Aarnio is known more widely as the “Ball Chair,” and sometimes as the “globe chair.” The chair is a fiberglass design, with fabric upholstery. This much-beloved chair returned to the Anderson Academic Commons on March 1, 2013, and is available for any patron’s seating pleasure. You can also see Aarnio’s pastil chairs on the third floor of the Academic Commons, just to the left of the main stairs.

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Tenth Street Shul

March 11th, 2013

Object: A crimson velvet brocade Torah mantle (cover). The mantle is trimmed with gold fringe, sequins and gold ribbon. There is a white and gold design on the front consisting of a crown, two lions, Hebrew letters standing for “‘the crown of the Torah,” the Ten Commandments in Hebrew and the date in Hebrew (5663). The mantle was used in the Congregation Shearith Israel (Tenth Street Shul) in Denver.

Torah cover for Shearith Israel congregation.

Torah cover from Shearith Israel synagogue

Shearith Israel (Remnant of Israel) synagogue was located in the oldest surviving religious structure in Denver from 1903 to 1965. The small stone building was originally erected as the Emanuel Episcopalian Church in 1877 at Tenth and Lawrence Streets in Denver. The Episcopalians moved and sold it to the Shearith Israel congregation in 1903. The Orthodox congregation remodeled the structure to fit the needs of a synagogue, adding Hebrew lettering around the entrance and a Star of David atop the building. Because of its location, it became known as the “Tenth Street Shul.”

The interior and exterior photographs of the Shearith Israel synagogue were taken by Jack Goldman. The sketch was done by Irene Miller Stein in 1979. Her father Robert Lazar Miller was an early member of the congregation. 

  Interior View of Shearith Israel

Exterior of Shearith Israel Synagogue

Drawing by Irene Stein Miller, 1979

Interior View of Shearith Israel Synagogue

 

The Shearith Israel congregation was established in 1899 as a traditional Orthodox Jewish house of worship. It was an offshoot of the Shomro Amunoh (Guardians of Faith) congregation, which was organized in 1877. Shearith Israel synagogue was one of the small synagogues just to the west of downtown Denver. The “Tenth Street Shul” was convenient for Denver businessmen who were seeking a regular minyan for daily religious services and was packed for services during the Great Depression because it was always heated. But by the end of World War II, services were only held on special occasions. The congregation dissolved in 1958, although sporadic services continued until 1965. The building, which was named an Historic Landmark in 1976, was converted to the Emanuel Art Gallery and is now part of the Auraria college campus.

There are a number of sets of tefillin in the Congregation Shearith Israel (Tenth Street Shul) Records, B139. This is one set of tefillin (phylactery) for the head consisting of a black leather box with a brown leather strap. Two of the four sides contain the Hebrew letter ”resh” designating that it is ‘’shel rosh” (for the head).

Set of Tifilins for the Head

Lazarus Wandel's Card from Congregation Shearith Israel

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Invitation to Dinner with President Teddy Roosevelt

November 2nd, 2012

Object: Milton Anfenger’s copy of a 1905 program honoring President Theodore Roosevelt at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, Colorado.

Invitation and program for dinner honoring President Roosevelt

Invitation to Dinner with President Roosevelt, 1905

Jewish pioneers began arriving in Denver as early as 1859, but it is not until the 1870s that the community began to establish firm roots. It is said that Denver’s first synagogue, Congregation Emanuel, was founded in 1874 after the birth of Milton Anfenger, the eldest son of Louis and Louise Anfenger. Louis Anfenger migrated to the Colorado Territory from Syracuse, New York in 1870 during Colorado’s formative years. He became a leader of Denver’s Jewish and general community and married Louise Schlesinger in 1871. Their son, Milton Anfenger, graduated from East Denver High School in 1892. He attended Stanford University and graduated with a L.L.B. in 1895.  At Stanford he was a classmate and roommate of future United States president Herbert Hoover.

Milton Anfenger at His Desk

Following in his father’s footsteps, Milton Anfenger became a leader in the Denver community. Anfenger became a lawyer and was admitted to the Colorado Bar Association in 1896. He also went into politics, was elected a Colorado State Senator in 1904 and served during the fifteenth and sixteenth Colorado general assemblies. As a prominent local politician, he attended the program honoring President Theodore Roosevelt which was sponsored by the Denver Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade in 1905.  The Anfengers were staunch Republicans, although two of Milton Anfenger’s sisters married prominent Democrats. In 1905, his sister Flora Anfenger married Philip Hornbein, who went on to become the chairman of the state Democratic Party from 1918 to 1920. Milton, himself, married Essie Wolfshon in 1911.

Caricature of Milt Anfenger, "Denver's Mr. Baseball"

Caricature of Milt Anfenger, "Mr. Baseball"

Milton Anfenger was an avid sports fan and became the owner of the Denver Bears baseball team in the 1920s, serving as president of the team from 1923-1932.A member of the Elks Lodge, Milton later served as President of the local lodge as well as Treasurer and President of the District Grand Lodge. He was also a central figure in the Denver Jewish community as an organizer of the Allied Jewish Council and was active in the Central Jewish Council, Central Jewish Aid Society, a Treasurer of the United Health Appeal Board of the Allied Council, and worked as editor of the Jewish News. He was Treasurer of Beth Israel Hospital and President of the National Jewish Hospital Board from 1945-1952. A member of several civic organizations, he was also actively involved in the National Guard, Masons, Odd Fellows, Denver Chamber of Commerce, board member of the Green Gables Country Club, and organizer of the Sons of Colorado. Milton Anfenger died December 9, 1952.

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Souvenir Game Program for the 1957-58 DU Hockey Team

August 8th, 2012

Here They Come! The 1957-58 Pioneers University of Denver Ice Hockey 1957-'58

This month’s Historical Object is a 1957-1958 University of Denver (DU) Pioneer hockey souvenir program, entitled “Here They Come!: The 1957-58 Pioneers.”

DU has been playing Division I NCAA men’s ice hockey since 1949, when the Field House Arena (the predecessor to Magness Arena) was completed. Pioneer Hockey is one of the more successful hockey programs in the history of collegiate men’s ice hockey. As of 2012, the Pioneers are tied with the University of North Dakota for second in all-time NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championships with 7, trailing only the University of Michigan, which has 9. Since the creation of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in 1959, the Pioneers have won 9 WCHA Regular Season Championships and 14 WCHA Playoff Championships.

The 1957-58 hockey team was the first of many championship DU hockey teams. After compiling a 24-10-2 record, the 57-58  Pioneers defeated North Dakota 6-2 in the championship game in Minneapolis. The team also finished tied for first in the Western International Hockey League (WIHL), the school’s first-ever league crown. Coach Murray Armstrong, then in just his second season as head coach, had said publicly that he would quit if DU did not win a national title within three years. Armstrong went on to coach for another 29 years and win another 4 NCAA titles (1960, 1961, 1968, 1969). Armstrong retired in 1977 and passed away in 2010 at the age of 94. In 2008 the entire 1957-58 team was elected into the DU Athletic Hall of Fame.

1957-1958 University of Denver Men's Ice Hockey Team

This program from the Pioneers’ first championship year (1957-1958) features head shots of all DU athletics administrators, coaches, and players, and even includes players’ relationship statuses at the time the program was printed (the vast majority were apparently single). The program also features a handy illustrated guide (p.8) to hockey referee signals that “every fan should know.”

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Fannie’s Sewing Book

May 24th, 2012

Portrait of the Louis Anfenger Family

Fannie Anfenger

Louis Anfenger came to the Colorado Territory in 1870 during Colorado’s formative years. Louis was born in Bavaria in 1842 and died in Denver in 1900. He married Louise Schlesinger in 1871. Anfenger was a successful businessman and was a founder and supporter of Congregation Emanuel, the local B’nai B’rith, and National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives. He and Louise (1847-1938) raised a large family in their home at Champa Street and Twenty-Ninth Street in Denver, Colorado. The couple became the parents of eight children, who later also became leaders in the Denver community. It is said that Congregation Emanuel was founded at the bris, or circumcision ceremony, of Milton Anfenger, the eldest son of Louis and Louise Anfenger. Milton became a lawyer, Colorado State Senator in 1904, and owner of the Denver Bears baseball team in the 1920s. Louis and Louise’s daughter Flora married prominent Denver attorney Philip Hornbein, their daughter Stella married David Michael, and their daughter Fannie (1885-1965) married Sidney Rinds and they had one son, Louis Rinds.

Fannie Anfenger's Sewing Book

Gilpin Elementary School was named after William Gilpin, who was the first governor of the Colorado Territory (1861-1862).  As a young girl, Fannie Anfenger attended sewing classes in her grade school. This sewing book features Fannie Anfenger’s name on the cover.  The exercises within the book were completed by Fannie Anfenger and have examples, attached to the adjoing pages, from the most basic of hand stitching to quite advanced handwork and machine stitching. Her mother Louise, who created this sampler in 1861, probably taught her to embroider. Fannie Anfenger was a fashionable young woman, as evidenced by her photograph.

Louise Anfenger's Sampler

Louise Schlesinger created this sampler in 1861

The Sewing Book, the embroidered sampler, and the dress in the photograph are part of the Anfenger Family Diaries and Material Culture Collection, B106, in the Ira M. and Peryle Hayutin Beck Memorial Archives.

Questions?  Contact Dr. Jeanne Abrams, jeanne.abrams@du.edu, 303-871-3016.

June 2012

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Penrose Poster

May 1st, 2012
1972 Penrose Library poster

Poster for opening of Penrose Library in 1972

Penrose Library, now undergoing a total renovation, was first completed in 1972 as the successor to the Mary Reed Library. Mary Reed, built in the 1930s, had long before run out of space. While few would argue the beauty of Mary Reed, functionally as a library it left much to be desired. The El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs provided funding for the construction of the Penrose Library and the library was named after Spencer Penrose. Penrose had started the foundation with his wife in 1937. He made his fortune by investing in Colorado mining during the early 20th century, and the El Pomar Foundation was his way to “give back” to Colorado. The El Pomar Foundation donated a total of four and a half million dollars to the University. It was the largest gift in the history of the foundation up to that time, as well as the largest single gift the University had ever received from a foundation. The main colors used inside of the building were yellow, orange, red, and purple. Seating was unique and included doughnut chairs and pod, or “egg” chairs. This poster welcomed visitors and features a cartoon character sitting in one of the Penrose egg chairs. Some of the egg chairs will be retained, but as a memory of the past. There will be many new distinctive furniture features in the new building, which will bring the library fully into the 21st Century.

A DUPedia article is located at http://library.du.edu/dupedia/category/places/buildings/penrose-library with more photos and information

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Carson-Brierly Dance Library: Maxine Munt’s Scrapbook

April 3rd, 2012

Maxine Munt (1913-2000) is perhaps best-known in Colorado as one of the co-founders of the Changing Scene Theatre. The Changing Scene was a bohemian, not-for-profit theater in downtown Denver that, from 1967-2000, provided an inexpensive,  supportive space  for experimental Denver performing artists.

Munt’s place in American modern dance history is just as impressive but not as well known.

Modern dancer, educator, and choreographer Charles Weidman (left) and Maxine Munt (right), a student of Weidman, stand outside at Bennington College.

The images, clippings, and pamphlets in Munt’s scrapbook, which she donated to the Carson-Brierly Dance Library, are primarily a record of her time as a student at the prestigious Bennington School of the Dance at Bennington College in Vermont. As such, they provide an intimate, personal glimpse into one of the first places in America that modern dance began to crystallize as a distinctly American art form.

The Bennington School of the Dance was a series of six-week summer sessions, held annually from 1934-1942, on the grounds of the small, progressive, and private Bennington College. The School of the Dance  was a haven and a laboratory for many of the leading lights of American modern dance. The work these educators did at Bennington went a long way toward refining and, to a degree, codifying this young, raw, and dynamic dance genre.

The scrapbook begins with Munt’s first summer at Bennington (1937), and includes images of all four of the pioneers in American modern dance who taught there: Martha Graham, Charles Weidman, Hanya Holm, and Doris Humphrey.

Charles Weidman clowns around with a group of students (Maxine Munt in middle foreground) under a striped tent at Bennington College.

Munt’s scrapbook shows Bennington’s students immersed in a progressive arts education curriculum that was unlike any other in America at the time. Students dance on the lawn in front of the college’s Commons building, play gongs, and playfully interact with their instructors. The scrapbook is also an especially rich source of visual information about Charles Weidman during his time at Bennington. In the summer of 1938, Munt was a member of Charles Weidman’s workshop, and many of the photographs from this time period show Weidman dancing, instructing, and joking with his students.

The remainder of the scrapbook shows Munt’s time teaching at the University of North Dakota, Adelphi College, University of Nebraska, and Ashley Hall (a girls’ school in Charleston, South Carolina) and working with various dance groups (including Hanya Holm’s, at Colorado College).

To see more photographs from Munt’s scrapbook, visit the Maxine Munt Scrapbook collection in our digital repository.

Questions? Contact University of Denver Special Collections and Archives, 303.871.3428.

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Beck Archives: Letter from Freud

March 6th, 2012

Letter dated November 19, 1931 from Dr. Prof. Sigmund Freud to Professor Morris Pepper.

Background:

Morris Robert Pepper was born in Denver, Colorado on August 31, 1906 to Jacob and Rosie Pepper, Jewish immigrants from Russia. His sister Mary Pepper, born in 1903, later married Philip Segal, son of Sol and Susie Freud Segal. The Pepper family moved to Fort Collins, Colorado and Morris Pepper graduated from Colorado State college in 1929 with the college’s first degree in mathematics. He then studied psychology at the University of Kentucky for one year and went to the University of Missouri, where he received a Master of Arts degree in abnormal psychology. He also studied and taught psychology at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. Morris Pepper had a distinguished career as a psychologist and hypnotist in New York and Colorado. He used hypnotism to help people lose weight and stop smoking.

Mary Pepper Segal asked her brother to write Dr. Sigmund Freud on behalf of her mother-in-law, whose maiden name was Freud. Morris Pepper complied, and Dr. Sigmund Freud wrote back saying that he and Susie Freud Segal were probably not related. Dr. Freud provides some family history in the letter he wrote: “my grandfather was Salomon Freud, he died shortly before I was born and left me his name which the official register got changed into Sigmund.” (Dr. Freud should have been called Salomon Sigmund Freud.) Would he have followed a different path with the first name of Salomon instead of Sigmund?

This letter is part of the Beck Biographical Materials collection. For more information, visit the Beck Archives Archives Corner webpage.

Questions?  Contact Dr. Jeanne Abrams, jeanne.abrams@du.edu, 303-871-3016.

March 2012

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