BEAVERTON CARNEGIE LIBRARY ~ Ontario - CANADA - Carnegie Library Buildings on Waymarking.com

This "Carnegie" library has been designated as being of architectural and historical interest under the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990:
A library was established within the Village of Beaverton as early as 1853; it was located in the court house on the north side of Simcoe Street where the existing post office and bank are situated. This reading room was later renamed to the Mechanics Institute in 1890. The public requested Council's consideration for a new library in 1897 and the issue was raised in the editorial pages of the Beaverton Express.
The Carnegie Foundation of New York established a grant program for Ontario communities in 1901 which ran until 1917. An application for a grant to build a new library in Beaverton was made by the secretary of the library board, Mr. J.F. Givens. The Beaverton Library board received a grant in the amount $7000.00 on August 28, 1910. A further request for $1000 was denied by the Secretary of the Carnegie Foundation. The terms of grant required that the village council provide a suitable site for the library and that tax funds be used to maintain it on an annual basis.
An architect, Mr. W.E. Binning, was retained by the library board based on his earlier designs for a library in Mitchell, Ontario - complete with a tower! Construction of the library commenced in 1911; the general contractor was Mr. James Snelgrove and the masonry work was completed by a Mr. Halward of Cannington. The library was officially opened to the public at 3:00 p.m. on December 5, 1913.