The following text is taken from the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form to describe this building's history:
Ashland Carnegie Library was begun in 1911 after the city's Epworth League successfully received funding from the noted philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Original plans for the product, required for funding from Carnegie, were prepared by local architect Frank Chamberlain Clark however the actual design that was built was prepared by Reno, Nevada-based architect George A. Ferris who was first brought to Ashland to design the city's high school.
"The estimated cost of of the building was $16,500. the Carnegie gift amounted to $15,000.....The bid of Moyer and Van Natta for the construction was accepted and work was begun March 1, 1912. The library was dedicated September 16, 1912." (Ott, 1938:5)
"It is doubtful if a large number of the citizens of Ashland fully realize their good fortune in having so handsome and well-equipped a library as is now the property of this city....The building, which is of brick with an exterior covering of cement plastering, is finished internally with Oregon fir and is handsome in the extreme...." (Tidings, 30, Sept-1912, 1:3-4)
The original Temple-front volume houses all of Ashland's public library services through WWII but with the increased population growth in the late 1940s, discussions of expanding the building began in earnest in 1951. In 1954 the City of Ashland, which then both owned the building and provided the library services, authorized a $5,000 loan to the Library board to help offset the estimated $15,000 costs of much need expansion.
"The addition will be at the back of the present building, extending to the alley that parallels Siskiyou boulevard. Work will be done by city crews and will begin as soon as possible." (Tidings. 2-Jun-1954, 1:2-3)
In 1956 additional renovation work resulted in the creation of the "Gresham Room," a public meeting space located in the full-size daylight basement. Operation of the library was transferred to the Jackson County Library System in the 1970s. At this writing ongoing discussions of how and if the Carnegie might be expanded or enlarged as so to continue as Ashland's public library are underway.
A two story stucco-clad volume, the Carnegie Library is sited diagonally, facing the intersection of Gresham and East Main streets. The long flight of stairs leading to the traditional entry remain, augmented by non-original entry on the building's east-facing elevation. While the entry doors have been replaced and other minor features have been removed, the Ashland Carnegie Library retains very high integrity to its original design and effectively related the historic period of significance and the role that it has played in Ashland's downtown for the past eight decades.
The library is also home to the Mickelson-Chapman Fountain located in front of the original entrance on the north side and also a contributing structure in the Ashland Downtown Historic District.