Carnegie South Branch, Cleveland, Ohio
Posted by: 
boatchick
N 41° 28.215 W 081° 41.828
17T E 441788 N 4591195
With the assistance of grants from Andrew Carnegie, fifteen branch libraries were built in Cleveland during the period from 1904 to 1920. The Carnegie South Branch is one of six still in use as part of the Cleveland Public Library system.
Waymark Code: WM3Y66
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 06/04/2008
Views: 30
The
Cleveland Public Library traces its roots back to a humble beginning in 1869 in a small rented room near Public Square in downtown Cleveland. Over the years, the library grew and expanded. William Howard Brett became the head of the Library in 1884, and would serve in that capacity until his death in 1918. Brett was successful in lobbying Andrew Carnegie for a total of $590,000 to build
fifteen branch libraries in Cleveland.
The
Carnegie South branch of the Cleveland Public Library is one of the two most eye-catching buildings at the intersection of Scranton and Clark. While this may sound like faint praise, both the library and its older neighbor,
St. Michael the Archangel Church are recognized as historically and architecturally significant by the Cleveland Landmarks commission. The library was designed by New York architects Whitfield and King. Henry Whitfield, Carnegie’s brother-in-law, designed many Carnegie Libraries, including the only one in Hawaii. The building is ornately designed of grey stone. Inside, large windows provide lots of natural lighting. This branch has not had extensive renovation like most of the other Cleveland Carnegie libraries. Two rooms located off the main atrium, the children’s room and an adult section, have fireplaces. In the children’s room, toys and artwork attest to the popularity of the library with the neighborhood’s children. The South branch, located in a predominantly Latino neighborhood, boasts a large collection of Spanish-language materials and notes that some of the staff is bilingual. There are 12 public-access computers and many community programs at the library. Carnegie South has no parking lot, but on-street parking is possible and the library is served by several bus lines.