FIRST - Public Library in Sparks, NV - First of its Kind on Waymarking.com

The following verbiage comes from the National Register of Historic Places nomination form to describe this FIRST:

The Sparks Library is significant because it was the first public library and also the "first gift" to Sparks from Washoe County. As the public library, the building served as a meeting place for many civic organizations in Sparks. Previous to the new library, Sparks residents used the Old Carnegie Library on South Virginia Street in Reno, some five miles distant.

The first library in Sparks was the Men's Railroad Library built in 1905 and destroyed by fire in 1908. The library was not public; it only served the male employees of the Southern Pacific Railroad.

The bill proposing a new Washoe County Library and the Sparks Branch was introduced by Assemplyman E. C. Mulcahy of Sparks, approved by the Senate, and signed by Governor Balzar in 1929. The bill did not specify what type of building or where the Sparks Branch would be located, so in January of 1930 the Lions Club investigated the feasibility of moving the Old Carnegie Library from Reno to Sparks. After months of debate, it was decided that moving the building would not be successful and that a new building would have to be erected. The site was chosen for reasons of economy by the Board of Library Trustees in 1930 from lots that the county had purchased many years earlier. These lots were originally purchased for a Justice Court building which was never built. It was decided that the ground floor of the new library would be set aside for the offices for the Justice of the Peace and the Constable.

The construction was contracted by Rousch and Belz, built according to the plans of Frederic J. DeLongchamps at the cost of $20,000 and furnished for $2,300. Construction began in July of 1931 and the building was formally opened January 1, 1932. H. W. Miles, Mrs. Carrie E Devine, and Mrs. Martina Spencer were the librarians. The library served as a cultural center for Sparks. Its prominent location and the lack of other public buildings contributed to its importance in the community. In 1965, the present library was built; the space vacated of library appurtenances were dedicated to the Justice Court. Plans are underway to move the Justice Court to a new building and to use the old venerable library as the Sparks Railroad Museum. A park created for large, railroad artifacts has already been completed behind the building.

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