Sandusky Library, Sandusky, Ohio
Posted by: 
boatchick
N 41° 27.206 W 082° 42.639
17T E 357119 N 4590506
In its second century of service, the Sandusky Library has recently expanded to better accommodate the community.
Waymark Code: WM3X9Q
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 05/30/2008
Views: 38
Various different “members-only” and subscription libraries existed in Sandusky from the 1820s until the Ladies Library Association was founded in 1870. Today’s Sandusky library traces its roots back to this “group of unusual local women” who were devoted to establishing a permanent collection and funding a building dedicated to library service. Through plays, lectures, and musicals, the ladies raised funds to purchase property at the southwest corner of Columbus Avenue and Adams Street in 1898. Then, in 1899, they received a Carnegie grant to build the library.
On July 3rd, 1901, the Sandusky Carnegie library was opened. It was constructed of local limestone, as are several other buildings in the downtown area. The library was added to the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1975. In the 1970s and 1980s, some small expansions and renovations took place, but the biggest change would come in the library’s second century.
In 1996, the nearby jail building, built in 1883 and similar in style to the library, was purchased from the city. A $10 million expansion project was planned to connect the two historic buildings, expanding the library from about 24,000 square feet to 62,000 square feet. The expansion was completed in the fall of 2003, connecting the two old buildings with a large new library space. The original Adams Street entrance is still open, but the main entrance is in the new section of the library. The original library space is now home to the children’s area, archives, and staff work areas. Much of the exterior of the new connector section has been built to blend in with the historic library and jail buildings.
Address of Library Building:
114 West Adams Street
Sandusky, Ohio USA
44870
Current Use of Building: Library
Year Built (optional): 1901
Website about building: [Web Link]
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