Niagara Falls Public Library - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Niagara Falls Public Library is a turn of the century building, one of a special generation of public libraries endowed by Andrew Carnegie. Some $45 million of Carnegie's vast fortune went into the construction and endowment of library buildings, however a community was not simply given a blank check by the Carnegie Foundation. The $50,000 grant awarded to Niagara Falls in 1901 came with the stipulation that the city must spend $7,000 annually for the building's maintenance.

The site of the new library to replace the original from 1814 was chosen in the estimated center of the reading population of the day. In 1904 at the official opening, the new library boasted the greatest circulation in proportion to population in New York.

E.E. Joralman, a local architect, designed the building with a capacity for 50,000 volumes. The library grew with the years, and by 1950 the building had to deal with 116,000 volumes. The auditorium on the lower level was converted for stack space. The continued concern for handicapped readers led to the establishment of a microfilm book service for the bedridden, said to be the first of its kind in a New York State library. The microfilmed books were projected onto the ceiling.

The library closed in the 1970s as it was replaced by the larger Earl Brydges Library down the street. It is now used by the city government as a community development office.

Street address: 1022 Main St Niagara Falls, NY United States 14301 County / Borough / Parish: Niagara Year listed: 1974 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event Periods of significance: 1900-1924 Historic function: Education: Library Current function: Education: Library Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 1: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/22/2012 Kenlaur visited it 09/12/2009 PeterNoG visited it

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