Webb City Carnegie Library - Webb City, Missouri - Victorian Style Architecture on Waymarking.com

he architecture of the library was designed by Grant C. Miller, of Chicago. At the time, Mr. Grant had supervised the building of more than 50 libraries. The architecture style of the Webb City Public Library is considered a combination of gothic and modern. As much as possible, native materials were used in the building of the library. They used limestone boulders, gravel and sand from the local mines for the foundation and the walls. They also used Carthage stone for the exterior trim.

Special attention was given to the inside of this magnificent building from floor to ceiling. The floors were covered with a “ear-ever,” noiseless, battleship linoleum that gave the impression of walking on air. The arched walls and ceilings were painted in an exquisite manner. The tables, chairs, and shelves were made of oak. The building contained an excellent system of lighting, heating and ventilation. The cost of the building came to $23,944.20. Once the architecture fees were added, the building of the library plus the furniture used a little bit over the $25,000 donated by the Carnegie Corporation. Webb City had its library, a building that was a pride of the community. To continue the use of natural, local material, the west exterior wall, on the north end, near the door was placed a large chunk of zinc taken from a local mine. Lead and zinc were added to the exterior on each side of the front door. An arched canopy was added over the front door in 1957.