Carnegie Public Library - Fort Collins, CO
Posted by: 
Outspoken1
N 40° 35.093 W 105° 04.428
13T E 493754 N 4492679
This stunning Carnegie Library was built using nearby red sandstone in 1903. In 1940, the WPA added the auditorium and additional space.
Waymark Code: WMETWB
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 07/07/2012
Views: 6
The plaque reports:
The building that today houses the Fort Collins Museum was constructed in 1903, as a public library. Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie provided $12,000 dollars in funds for construction. Opened to the public on August 26, 1904, the Carnegie Library boasted 3,900 books. Local quarries near today's Horsetooth Reservoir provided the native red sandstone of the building's facade. During the November 18, 1903, cornerstone ceremony, citizens sealed contemporary newspapers and other documents in a metal container and laid it in the stone as a time capsule of Fort Collins history.
During the late 1930's, WPA workers built an addition on the east side of the Carnegie building. This provided more space, including an auditorium. By 1975, the public library had outgrown the facility, and construction began on a new main building, located on the east side of Library Park. The now empty Carnegie Library became home to the Fort Collins Museum in 1977. [Note: the museum is moving as of Summer 2012 to a new building.]
This is a lovely and stoutly constructed building, that is sadly, again going to be vacant (as of 2012). I hope the city finds another public use for this wonderful building and location.
Project type: Government building (non-park)
Date built or created: 1940
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
City: Fort Collins
Condition: Good upkeep with a little wear and tear
Website for additional information: Not listed
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