CARNEGIE LIBRARY
Architect: George William Grant
This eclectic 1903 Victorian building was one of the 2,507 public libraries buildings paid for by the Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie, the richest person in the world when he retired in 1901. Carnegie believed in the “Gospel of Wealth” and gave away 90% of his fortune. This commanding building is faced with Gabriola Island sandstone and features and Ionic corner portico and dome, Romanesque-inspired arched windows, a French mansard roof and an usual stained glass window by the spiral staircase. Vancouver’s main library operated here until 1957, with the top floor housed the Vancouver Museum from 1905 to 1968. In 1980, after a campaigned spearheaded by the Downtown Eastside Residents’ Association, this building was saved and converted into the Carnegie Community Centre.