Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
CARNEGIE-STOUT PUBLIC LIBRARY: Difference between revisions
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Interest in establishing a free library grew during the 1890s. Andrew Carnegie, a person familiar with Dubuque, agreed to endow the city with a $60,000 building provided a lot could be found on which to build. In response, [[STOUT, Frank D.|Frank D. STOUT]] donated property on the corner of 11th and Bluff [[STREETS]]. A donation of $15,000 for the new building and $10,000 for new books was given by the Young Men's Literary Association. Construction began in October 1901. The library was opened to the public on October 20, 1902. | Interest in establishing a free library grew during the 1890s. Andrew Carnegie, a person familiar with Dubuque, agreed to endow the city with a $60,000 building provided a lot could be found on which to build. In response, [[STOUT, Frank D.|Frank D. STOUT]] donated property on the corner of 11th and Bluff [[STREETS]]. A donation of $15,000 for the new building and $10,000 for new books was given by the Young Men's Literary Association. Construction began in October 1901. The library was opened to the public on October 20, 1902. | ||
[[Image:DSC01135.jpg|left|thumb| | [[Image:DSC01135.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Commemorative paperweight. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding]] | ||
[[Image:Library.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Image courtesy: Mike Day. Kendall C. Day family collection.]]In the summer of 1981 a new wing was designed by architect Charles Kurt of the Durrant Group, was opened to the public. The addition used limestone facing similar in appearance to the original building and allowed increased use of the library by the public. The additional space increased the capacity of the library by approximately 188,000 volumes. | |||
[[Category: Museums/Libraries]] | [[Category: Museums/Libraries]] | ||
[[Category: Landmarks]] | [[Category: Landmarks]] | ||
[[Category: Postcards]] | [[Category: Postcards]] | ||
[[Category: Kendall C. Day Family Collection]] | |||
Revision as of 04:10, 12 January 2012
CARNEGIE-STOUT PUBLIC LIBRARY. Local landmark funded in part by Andrew CARNEGIE and placed on the NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES on August 1, 1975. The library's history began in 1856 when a group of young professionals and businessmen formed a society to bring a lecture course to Dubuque. At the same time, J. S. Blatchley, an attorney, made his one hundred fifty-volume library available to anyone for a fee of five dollars.
Funds from the lectures, first given in 1857-1858, were used to purchase additional books. By 1859, with the donation by the Blatchley library to the lecture committee, the number of volumes reached four hundred. The library was relocated to the back of Gilbert's Book Store. W. J. Gilbert, owner of the store, was the first librarian.
In 1859 the lecture committee reorganized as the Young Men's Literary Association of Dubuque. This group maintained the library until 1901. In 1893 the books were moved to the Odd Fellow's Temple when the collection had grown to fourteen thousand volumes. After this relocation, the collection was cataloged according to the Dewey Decimal System. The library, while open to the public, was not municipally owned or free.
Interest in establishing a free library grew during the 1890s. Andrew Carnegie, a person familiar with Dubuque, agreed to endow the city with a $60,000 building provided a lot could be found on which to build. In response, Frank D. STOUT donated property on the corner of 11th and Bluff STREETS. A donation of $15,000 for the new building and $10,000 for new books was given by the Young Men's Literary Association. Construction began in October 1901. The library was opened to the public on October 20, 1902.
In the summer of 1981 a new wing was designed by architect Charles Kurt of the Durrant Group, was opened to the public. The addition used limestone facing similar in appearance to the original building and allowed increased use of the library by the public. The additional space increased the capacity of the library by approximately 188,000 volumes.