Carnegie West Branch, Cleveland, Ohio
Posted by: 
boatchick
N 41° 28.945 W 081° 42.667
17T E 440631 N 4592556
With the assistance of grants from Andrew Carnegie, fifteen branch libraries were built in Cleveland during the period from 1904 to 1920. The Carnegie West Branch is one of six still in use as part of the Cleveland Public Library system.
Waymark Code: WM3Y5G
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 06/03/2008
Views: 17
The
Cleveland Public Library traces its roots back to a humble beginning in 1869 in a small rented room near Public Square in downtown Cleveland. Over the years, the library grew and expanded. William Howard Brett became the head of the Library in 1884, and would serve in that capacity until his death in 1918. Brett was successful in lobbying Andrew Carnegie for a total of $590,000 to build
fifteen branch libraries in Cleveland.
The Carnegie West Branch is located in a park setting on Fulton Road just north of Lorain Avenue. The triangular-shaped building was designed by Edward Tilton, an architect best known for collaborating on the Immigration Station at Ellis Island in New York. This branch opened in 1910 and is still in service to the Ohio City neighborhood. Inside, large windows and a skylight provide much natural lighting. The interior is decorated with Corinthian columns and, at the entrance, a plaster bas relief frieze depicting the Triumphal Entry of Alexander into Babylon. The basement of the building originally housed an auditorium that seated 650 people. The Cleveland Landmarks Commission has designated the Carnegie West Library as a historically and architecturally significant building. The building was remodeled in 1979, but it seems to maintain much of its original design.