Bangkok library celebrates centenary by accepting UNESCO award

One of Bangkok’s much-loved buildings celebrated its one hundredth birthday in type, by accepting a UNESCO cultural heritage award.
The Neilson Hays Library in Bangkok obtained an Award of Distinction on the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
The jury hailed the library as a landmark building.
“ Deadline sets a welcome benchmark for the restoration of early 20th-century buildings of Western architectural design in humid tropical environments.”
Italian architect Mario Tamagno designed the library which was inbuilt 1922 in the course of the reign of King Rama VI.
It was Thailand’s first neighborhood library, presumably the first English language, and the first women-led library in the Southeast Asia area. Since then, it has functioned as an unbiased, community library and cultural centre within the coronary heart of Thailand’s capital.

 
Neilson Hays Library Association president Nalin Vanasin accepted the award.
He called the historic library “a labour of love by all who had been involved” coming “together to dedicate themselves to both preserve a bit of history, and to propel their beloved library forward.”
The UNESCO statement added…
“The restoration demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the spirit of place, which is well-respected and enhanced through cautious analysis and investigation.”
An international UNESCO jury reviewed 50 entries from 11 countries from the Asia-Pacific area in November and acknowledged thirteen initiatives from six nations (Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, and Thailand).
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai, India, gained the Award of Excellence, and Topdara Stupa in Charikar, Afghanistan, and the Nantian Buddhist Temple in Fujian, China, were amongst those tasks that received the Award of Merit.
UNESCO’s chief of tradition unit, Feng Jing, said…
“The awards give individuals a sense of pride and a sense of ownership of their heritage.

The Bangkok Ladies’ Library Association, as it was initially recognized, was constructed to provide companies to foreigners dwelling in Bangkok.
Its first president was Sarah Bradley, spouse of Doctor Dan Beech Bradley. It changed its identify to the Bangkok Library Association in 1911.
It was renamed the Neilson Hays Library to commemorate the love of Dr Thomas Heyward Hays had for his wife, Jennie Neilson Hays, who travelled with him to live in Bangkok in 1884..