Union-Miles Development Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio
Posted by: 
boatchick
N 41° 26.812 W 081° 37.359
17T E 447989 N 4588552
With the assistance of grants from Andrew Carnegie, fifteen branch libraries were built in Cleveland during the period from 1904 to 1920. The former Miles Park branch now headquarters the Union-Miles Development corporation.
Waymark Code: WM5AB4
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 12/06/2008
Views: 11
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 Miles Park Branch of the Cleveland Public Library is one of a number of Ohio Carnegie libraries designed by renowned architect Edward Tilton. The building is located between East 91st and East 93rd on Miles Park Avenue on a large, park-like lot.
For around 80 years, the building served as the neighborhood library. It was closed in 1987. In May of 1990, the Harriet Tubman Museum and Cultural Association opened in the former library. What became of this museum is unclear; however, by 2000, the Carnegie building had been acquired and rehabilitated by the Union-Miles Development Corporation. The UMDC is a community group dedicated to improving the quality of life in the neighborhood. Their website mentions that part of the building is used as the UMDC's headquarters, and the rest is rented out to other community service providers. Judging by the play areas in the front of the building, one of these is a child care facility.
References:
Armentrout, Mary Ellen: Carnegie Libraries of Ohio
The Encyclopdia of Cleveland History
Union-Miles Development Corporation History