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Via Ben Becker.

A $350,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant will let the Boston Public Library and MIT mount a traveling exhibition of the work of Rafael Guastavino, whose "thoughtful design of public spaces transformed American architecture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries:"

Guastavino and his family invented a colorful tiling that is lightweight, attractive, fireproof, and virtually indestructible. Excellent examples of his work grace buildings in 40 states. Examples include the Grand Central Terminal in New York City, the United Stated Supreme Court Building, and the Nebraska State Capitol. Guastavino used his extraordinary gift to elevate public spaces including transportation centers, government centers, libraries, and churches.

The exhibition will first open at the BPL main branch in Copley Square - which was the site of Guastavino's first major work in the U.S.

UPDATE: Thanks to commenters for noting the photo I posted from the McKim building was not of one of the ones Guastavino designed. See if you can spot his work in this collection of McKim construction photos.

The East Boston Times-Free Press reports the mayor is vowing to go ahead with the $11.3-million project even without the $8-million state grant the city had applied for, but probably won't get.

Last year, BPL trustees had targeted the Orient Heights branch for closure, in part on the assumption the city would build an entirely new branch to replace the tiny building and the neighborhood's other branch.

A Globe editorial calls for restoration of Sunday hours at the Copley Square main library, and says part of the fix is ending the "tragedy" of having all those damn branch libraries:

Boston Police report Joseph Whalen, 66, of Yarmouth, was arrested for allegedly striking a man in the back of the head with a blunt object yesterday afternoon outside the BPL main library in Copley Square.

According to police, the victim was working on his laptop in the library around 4:45 p.m. when Whalen went up to him and demanded "Give met that!" Police say the victim refused, then left the library:

Too many branches, too little money, he tells the Globe.

Shoshanna Kahne reviews Matt Hosey's works, on the walls of the BPL branch in Grove Hall - built entirely out of material he finds in hardware stores:

Hosey doesn't take pictures of his inspiration anymore. He just sees something — electrical wiring, roof lines, filled?in holes in the sidewalk and street — and he carries that feeling back to the studio with him. It's not about recreating the shape that so fascinates him; it's about recreating the feeling

Louis Gossett, Jr., one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors, is scheduled to appear at Lynn City Hall today where he’ll talk to over 2,000 middle school students about violence, racism, and bullying. Read full article by John Stephen Dwyer.

They'll be setting up loudspeakers so people outside can hear what BPL President Amy Ryan has to say at a meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the still officially doomed Faneuil branch. Last night, Ryan told supporters of the Dorchester Lower Mills branch, also slated for a spring shutdown, that library officials would consider keeping branches open if money can be found.