Serving the community as library until 1980, the building was taken over by the city and used as city offices when a new and larger library was built. Unable to afford the upkeep on a quickly deteriorating building, in the mid 1990s the city seriously considered tearing the building down to make room for a parking lot. However, the Bozeman Historic Preservation Advisory Board stepped in, obtaining a grant for an assessment of the building's structural integrity. The building was deemed salvageable and was sold to lawyers Mike Cok and Mike Wheat who, in 1998, financed an extensive renovation.
Since the completion of the restoration in 1999, its new owners have opened the building to the public on numerous occasions for special events, such as Historic Preservation Week.
One of a series of articles on the history and the historic buildings of Bozeman, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle published an article on the town's Carnegie Library in 2003. See excerpts below.
The Saga of Bozeman’s Carnegie Library
By B. Derek Strahn Apr 8, 2003
Bozeman’s residents and visitors have delighted in the rehabilitation of several key historic buildings in the downtown area over the last decade or so. At the intersection of Main Street and Tracy Avenue alone, three notable landmarks - the historic Avant Courier building (1 East Main), the National Bank of Gallatin County (1 West Main), and the Gallatin State Bank (2 West Main) - were brought back to their original glory during the 1990s.
While each of these undertakings has helped to enhance the historic character of downtown Bozeman in important and lasting ways, few have has a great of impact as the restoration and rehabilitation of Bozeman’s cherished Carnegie Library at 35 North Bozeman Ave.
A notable public building, once seriously neglected and threatened with demolition, the Carnegie now stands as an important example of adaptive reuse and an inspiring symbol of Bozeman’s commitment to historic preservation and downtown revitalization.
Viewing free public libraries as a key agent of self-improvement, steel baron Andrew Carnegie donated roughly $41 million for the construction of 1,679 public libraries between 1886 and 1917. One of 17 Carnegie libraries erected in Montana, Bozeman’s Classical Revival landmark was constructed to meet the needs of a growing population and elevate the moral character of the community.
Although small libraries had existed in Bozeman since 1872, by 1900 the city’s accommodations were woefully inadequate. To rectify the situation, local librarian Bell Chrisman urged the city to seek Carnegie funding. Determined and confident, she corresponded directly with the powerful Carnegie, expressing the need for a new library facility in Bozeman. On March 14, 1902, the aging philanthropist agreed to provide $15,000 for the building in return for “a suitable site” and the city’s pledge of $1,500 yearly support...
...Haire’s remarkable public structure served as the community library until 1980, when its limited size and a growing community justified the design and construction of the present facility on East Lamme Street. The Carnegie Library was then was utilized as city offices. As the years wore on, growing maintenance problems and handicapped accessibility concerns became more apparent, but the City of Bozeman lacked the funds and the resolve to invest substantially in the building’s revitalization. By the mid-1990s, conservative city commissioners were openly discussing the possibility of demolishing the local landmark to make room for a parking lot.
Recognizing that the Carnegie was endangered, the Bozeman Historic Preservation Advisory Board received a Preservation Services Fund grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to assess the structural integrity of the Carnegie as well as develop feasible and historically sensitive solutions for disabled access.
Experts from around the state concluded that the building was salvageable - a conclusion that was later confirmed by local structural engineers. These studies convinced the City of Bozeman that demolition of the structure would be an unfortunate and costly loss, not to mention obviously contrary to the city’s stated goals of historic preservation in the downtown area.
Shortly afterward, the building was sold to attorneys Mike Cok and Mike Wheat. In 1998 the new owners financed an extensive rehabilitation, including the design of a very sympathetic elevator addition by Comma Q Architecture of Bozeman. Richard Teer, of Intermountain Restoration, and several others worked diligently to restore the buildings exterior to its original appearance.
From the Bozeman Daily Chronicle
BOZEMAN CARNEGIE LIBRARY
Steel baron Andrew Carnegie viewed public libraries as a key agent of self improvement and donated roughly $41 million for the construction of 1,679 public libraries between 1886 and 1917. The Bozeman Classical Revival landmark, one of seventeen Carnegie libraries erected in Montana, was constructed to meet the needs of a growing population and elevate the moral character of the community. Small libraries had existed in Bozeman since 1872, but by 1900 the city's accommodations were woefully inadequate. To rectify the situation, librarian Bell Chrisman urged the city to seek Carnegie funding. On March 14, 1902, the philanthropist agreed to provide $15,000 for the building in return for "a suitable site" and the city's pledge of $1,500 yearly support. Despite local controversy, reform-minded citizens located the new facility directly across the street from the town's red light district in part as an incentive to improve those disreputable surroundings. To this end, architect C.S. Haire designed Bozeman's library to resemble an ancient temple with a symmetrical Greek cross plan. The elaborate main entrance features Roman Doric columns supporting a formidable triangular pediment. In the shadow of this impressive edifice, the red light district eventually disappeared. The structure served as the community library until 1980 and then was utilized as city offices. In 1998, the building underwent extensive restoration by owners Michael E. Wheat and Michael D. Cok.
From the plaque at the building