Norwood Branch, The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County; Norwood, Ohio
Posted by: 
boatchick
N 39° 09.391 W 084° 27.557
16S E 719534 N 4337220
With a Carnegie grant of $280,000, the Cincinnati Public Library built 9 neighborhood branches. Seven of them, including Norwood, are still in use today.
Waymark Code: WM63QR
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 03/28/2009
Views: 4
Although earlier subscription services existed, the
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County considers March 14, 1853 as their official birthday, and recently celebrated their sesquicentennial. Two downtown buildings have served as the main library, and the system today has 41 branch libraries. Carnegie funds financed 9 branches built between 1905 and 1915. Today, seven of the nine are still in use. The former Columbia-Tusculum branch is now in use as a community center, and the former West End branch was demolished in 1947.
The Norwood branch library is a brick and limestone building with two large Corinthian columns at the entrance. Different colored bricks were used to create a pattern. The Cincinnati firm of Werner and Adkins designed the Norwood library, as well as the Norwood City Hall and Norwood National Bank. The upstairs auditorium, which seated 234, is no longer used. The interior features apparently original woodwork and two bas reliefs by Cincinnati sculptor Clement Barnhorn.
References
Armentrout, Mary Ellen. Carnegie Libraries of Ohio
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Norwood Branch
Biographical Dictionary of Cincinnati Architects
Carnegie Branches of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Library on flickr