The Cleveland firm of Walker and Weeks, already well-known in Indiana for designing Indianapolis’s World War Memorial, designed the building in 1932. Henry Hering, the artist who created the War Memorial’s Pro Patria sculpture, designed a carved bas relief pattern that gave the library’s Indiana limestone exterior an Art Deco flair.

By 2004, the library had outgrown the landmark and moved to a new building four times the size. At the same time, the children’s museum needed room to grow, as it was squeezed into a storefront in a local mall.

Sturdily constructed to hold the weight of thousands of books, the adapted landmark now houses three floors of interactive exhibits and event space. In the Live Big Gallery, kids can crawl through a Giant Nose or pull intestines out of a statue to get an idea of the organ’s length. At the Work Smart Gallery, they can take apart electronics, build paper airplanes, or dig for dinosaur bones.

Former library patrons will recognize the granite and marble surrounds and original chandeliers. Librarians used to be the only ones allowed in the “stacks,” but no longer. Museum designers removed some floors in the area to accommodate the Quack Factory, a multi-story exhibit with museum mascot Moe, a 20-foot-tall duck. Visitors can climb Moe, or launch balls into his head from the first level.

Great building, great example of adaptive reuse. The museum is located at 22 Southeast 5th Street in downtown Evansville. Call 812-464-2663, or visit http://www.cmoekids.org.