When There's A New Chapter At Carnegie Public Library Buildings

The Carnegie Public Library Building in Paso Robles, CaliforniaGetty

Andrew Carnegie took the reins of a nascent public library movement and scaled up. From 1886 to 1919, Carnegie funded the design and construction of nearly 1,700 public library buildings in over 1,400 cities and towns in the United States alone.

Through founding free public libraries, Carnegie channeled the impression that reading had upon his life, and supported people who desired to learn by providing them with places to access volumes of books. Carnegie’s aspiration combined with his action sparked both community development and personal enlightenment. When he passed away in 1919, Carnegie’s global philanthropic contributions totaled $350 million, about 90% of his wealth, with $41 million for the creation of libraries in U.S. communities.

A century after the final U.S.-based, Carnegie-financed library, the buildings symbolize an idea and a benefaction. With good fortune, many cities have built larger public libraries to accommodate advanced technologies and new services. Still, other Carnegie libraries have been demolished or similarly lost.

“Conditions upon the earth inevitably change,” Carnegie once wrote. When communities inevitably grapple with retaining their Carnegie libraries, here are five repurposed examples, representing possibilities for the adaptive use of buildings which were built for personal and societal advancement.

1. Paso Robles, California | Opened 1908
Set within Downtown City Park, centered on the axis of Park Street, this Carnegie library building is the home of El Paso de Robles Area Historical Society. In 1995, when the new library was built across the street, the historical society assumed stewardship of the Carnegie building, becoming caretaker on behalf of the City of Paso Robles, the building’s owner.

2. Huntington, West Virginia | Opened 1902
Known historically as the Cabell County Public Library, for 78 years this Carnegie library building served in its original capacity in downtown Huntington, until a new library was constructed. Today, the Carnegie building is home to Huntington Junior College.

3. Ladysmith, Wisconsin | Opened 1907
Originally the City Public Library, the building would serve in its library capacity for nine decades, until Rusk County built a larger facility. The building has been converted and operates as the Carnegie Hall Bed and Breakfast.

4. Beatrice, Nebraska | Opened 1903
The now-oldest extant Carnegie library building in Nebraska, it operated as a library until 1991, when a larger facility opened. The building is a newly-repurposed, power-hub of economic development and tourism as the home of the Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce, Gage County Tourism and Gage Area Growth Enterprise (NGage).

5. Washington, D.C. | Opened 1903
The Central Public Library in Mount Vernon Square was the first Carnegie library in the nation’s capital, and served as a library for nearly 70 years. Curbed reports Apple has a 10-year lease for a flagship store and hopes for a winter opening. Apple will co-occupy the historic building with the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.

When There's A New Chapter At Carnegie Public Library Buildings curated from Forbes - Real Estate