Kent Free Library; Kent, Ohio - Carnegie Library Buildings on Waymarking.com

Employees of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad organized the first lending library in Kent in 1875. For annual dues of $1 per year, members could borrow a book for up to three weeks at a time. After closing in 1884, the books remained in storage until the opening of the Kent Free Library and Reading Room. This library was funded by tax money, and was kept in rented rooms.

In 1901, members of the village council and the library board contacted Andrew Carnegie to request a library grant. Carnegie agreed to a $10,000 grant for the building, Marvin Kent donated property at the intersection of Main Street and River Street, and the citizens of the Kent voted to approve a tax levy for funding. Cleveland architect Charles Hopkinson, who would also design the Lakewood, Ohio Carnegie Library, was hired as architect. The contractor was A. C. Stambaugh. The grey brick building was finished in the spring of 1903, and several months were spent furnishing the building and organizing the library's collection. Finally, in September of 1903, the library was opened.

The basement of the library was remodeled in 1928. Originally used as rooms for the janitor, the remodeling provided a large meeting room for local clubs. The library was expanded in 1961, then again in 1977 and 1984. The largest renovation came in 2005, when the earlier additions were removed. With the original Carnegie structure intact, a new expansion was added. The three-story addition triples the pre-renovation space of the library. Currently-available (July 2009) Google aerial imagery shows the work in progress. The new section was opened on the 103rd anniversary of the Carnegie building. The Carnegie Section is now home to the genealogy and local history collections.

References:
Armentrout, Mary Ellen. Carnegie Libraries in Ohio
Kent Free Library

Address of Library Building: 312 West Main Street Kent, Ohio USA 44240 Current Use of Building: library Year Built (optional): 1903 Website about building: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/20/2023 buffalohiker visited it