Locke Branch, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library; Toledo, Ohio
Posted by: 
boatchick
N 41° 38.471 W 083° 31.108
17T E 290250 N 4613002
The Locke Branch of the Toledo Public Library was one of 5 branch libraries funded by Andrew Carnegie and built between 1916 and 1918.
Waymark Code: WM643M
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 03/30/2009
Views: 7
?Public library service in Toledo dates back to the 1830s with the formation of the Young Men’s Association Library. The Toledo Public Library opened in 1873 and now lives on as the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library. The Toledo Library initially applied for a Carnegie grant in 1905 to remodel and expand the main library. The request was denied, but a second application was approved in 1915 to build 5 new branch libraries.
The Locke branch library was named for David R. Locke, who was a writer, editor, and later owner of the Toledo Blade newspaper. The grand opening of this brick and limestone was 5 December 1917. The original building was expanded significantly in 1935 and remodeled in 1962. A 1995 bond levy was passed to fund a new and improved Locke Branch, and the old Carnegie building closed its doors on Saturday, 21 July 2007. Locke Branch was the last of the five Carnegie-funded buildings to remain open as a library. A May, 2008 Blade article mentions that members of the East Toledo Historical Society, the Toledo Historical Museum, and the Toledo Police Historical Museum had toured the Locke building to consider it for museum use; however, as of March 2009, a "For Sale" sign remains in the front lawn.
References:
Armentrout, Mary Ellen. Carnegie Libraries in Ohio
Toldeo-Lucas County Public Library
Toledo Blade online archives