154:, and the fire chief, for the initial foray into the damp, charred stacks. The fire had been confined primarily to the upper stacks, which housed mostly second and third copies of books, although some important recent acquisitions had also been kept there. But the water had caused enormous damage and the growth of mold threatened to do more.
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After rejecting several methods for drying the water-soaked books, the suggestion was brought to Rabbi David Kogen, then-vice chancellor of the
Seminary, to place paper towels between the pages of every book to absorb the moisture. Volunteers of all ages were recruited from around the neighborhood
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The tower, with only few small windows, was the perfect environment for a major conflagration. There were no floors separating one level from another, only steel library stacks surrounded by catwalks. The tower was like an oven and the fire spread quickly. Extinguishing it was extremely difficult,
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to the highest floor that could be safely reached. The firefighters spread canvas tarpaulins over as many shelves of books as they could, while hook and ladder trucks sprayed water through the highest openings in the tower, cascading down to the fire below. The fire was declared under control at
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The library's book collection was rebuilt with the help of donations from private and institutional libraries. The books were moved to a prefabricated building in the JTS courtyard that remained until a new library building was completed in 1984.
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The library now exceeds 380,000 volumes. With the assistance of the Horace W. Goldsmith
Foundation, 35,000 books that were saved from the fire and placed in high-density storage are being restored and catalogued.
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was discovered on Monday, April 18, 1966, at 10:15 AM when smoke was seen pouring from one of the small upper windows of the
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Some 70,000 volumes were destroyed in the fire and many more were damaged. The library's rare books and
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students were brought in to help. The paper toweling was supplied by local retailers and manufacturers.
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with only one entrance and stairwell from the bottom and limited window access.
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LOST MEMORY - LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES DESTROYED IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
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at the time, joined Gerson Cohen, the future chancellor of the
226:"The Jewish Theological Seminary - About The Library"
143:about 7:00 PM, nine hours after it was discovered.
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169:, which were stored elsewhere, were spared.
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261:Conservative Judaism in New York (state)
106:Jewish Theological Seminary Library fire
17:Jewish Theological Seminary Library fire
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271:Jewish Theological Seminary of America
152:Jewish Theological Seminary of America
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110:Jewish Theological Seminary Library
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291:School fires in the United States
138:Alfred Eckert dispatched masked
296:1966 fires in the United States
286:Morningside Heights, Manhattan
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48:Broadway and 122nd Street in
187:List of destroyed libraries
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211:September 5, 2012, at the
25:April 18, 1966
146:Menahem Schmelzer, the
87:40.811889°N 73.960639°W
276:Libraries in Manhattan
256:1966 in New York City
92:40.811889; -73.960639
116:and 122nd Street in
118:Morningside Heights
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50:Morningside Heights
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160:Jewish day school
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266:Jewish libraries
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232:on 2008-05-09
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234:. Retrieved
230:the original
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140:firefighters
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78:73°57′38.3″W
75:40°48′42.8″N
167:manuscripts
90: /
65:Coordinates
250:Categories
236:2007-10-27
193:References
136:Fire Chief
29:1966-04-18
148:librarian
122:Manhattan
112:tower at
54:Manhattan
209:Archived
181:See also
114:Broadway
45:Location
40:10:15 AM
27: (
158:and
104:The
37:Time
22:Date
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207:(
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