Historically important icon of a grander age
When 'culture' began to blossom from the Texas sage
More than a smattering of hist'ry can be found
For the questing waymarker who visits Belton town.
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Resource Name: Carnegie Public Library (source: Texas Historical Commission Atlas (
visit link) (county=Bell))
National Historic Register Reference Number: 85000473
Other Name: Bell County Museum
Located opposite the Old Post Office a block north of the Courthouse Square, the Carnegie Public Library is a good example of early 20th-century Beaux-Artsinfluenced public buildings. The structure is in good condition, in part because few alterations were made over the years, and also because of a recent restoration. The Carnegie Public Library is a rectangular, twostory, masonry structure with shallow hipped roof. Raised slightly on a base of cast stone, the building has loadbearing exterior walls of structural clay tile and an exterior of buff brick laid in common-bond pattern.
The entrance (west) front is divided into three large bays, the central of which is framed by a portico-like element. Giant-order, inflated, Ionic columns and brick piers support architrave blocks with medallions, which in turn support the central pediment. The center double door is surmounted by a broken pediment supported by single, inflated, Ionic columns. Above is a triple window with one over-one windows, while a circular medallion is found below the pediment and above the architrave. On each side of the central bay are triple one-over-one windows on both the main and second floors. These are separated by wooden-paneled tympanums. The entablature which rings the structure is surmounted by a classical balustrade now being restored.
The north and south elevations are identical. Each features a central triple window element (similar to that of the side bays of the front elevation) and single windows of the same design at each side. Historic photographs indicate the lower side windows were once pedimented. The rear (east) side of the building has a central pavilion with four one over-one windows placed symmetrically. The northeast and southeast corners of the building have single windows on the north, south and east faces. Fenestration is duplicated on the second floor, as it is elsewhere in the library. The building has a shallow hipped roof with flat top. Some parts are covered with metal shingles.
The interior of the Carnegie Library fulfills the promise of the exterior. The ground floor is essentially one large room separated into four major spaces by inflated, four cornered, Ionic columns which support the elaborate entablature; ornamental swags adorn columns and entablature. Original pressed-tin ceilings are also found in most of the building. The second floor of the structure is dominated by a large lecture room. As with downstairs rooms, it features high ceilings covered by pressed tin. Partitions installed in the structure over the years have been removed in the recent rehabilitation of the library, which has aimed at restoring the building to its original appearance.
The Carnegie Public Library Building is located on a flat, grassy, rectangular city lot. There are no outbuildings, but mature trees are found to the north and east of the library.
Constructed in 1904, the Carnegie Public Library served the Belton community and surrounding areas until December 7, 1975, when the Bell County Historical Commission opened the building as the Bell County Museum. Belton's Carnegie Library was one of many built in the United States around the turn of the century with funds provided by Andrew Carnegie. However, this library differed somewhat from many of the others since it was funded by a personal gift of $10,000 from the steel magnate. The building retains its architectural integrity but needs some minor repairs.
In 1899, in the parlors of the Central Hotel (operated by the Sanctificationists, a women's religious sect), the Women's Wednesday Club met for the purpose of establishing a library for the city of Belton. Each member had been requested to donate a book at the time of the club's organization, resulting in the acquisition of some 350 books as the nucleus of the library. The club operated the first library in a small room of the hotel until those quarters became too small.
In April of 1900, the Club held another open house and again, with the invitation, there came the charge from II Timothy, "And when thou comest, bring with Thee Books". At the time of the opening of the present Carnegie Library Building, the club was able to donate to the institution some 1500 volumes. The club continued to seek funding from the Carnegie Foundation, as evidenced by copies of letters from the club's secretary dated 1899, 1902, and 1903. After the 1903 request, the group was notified that if the City of Belton agreed by resolution of council to maintain a free public library at a cost of not less than a thousand dollars a year, and provide a suitable site, then Mr. Carnegie would be pleased to furnish $10,000 to help erect a free library for the city. By proper resolution and public subscription, citizens were able to provide the lot and Mr. Carnegie forwarded his personal check.
Architecturally, the Carnegie Library is of considerable importance to the Belton community. While classical elements are found in other public buildings, such as the Bell County Courthouse (1883; National Register, 1976) and the United States Post Office (1918; determined eligible for the Register, 1984), no building in the city but the library displays such exuberant Beaux Arts classicism. To fledgling Texas cities, the creation of a classically-inspired center of learning was an indication that the community had arrived culturally, and the local library reflected in a very modest way the spirit of the Library of Congress or the New York or Boston public libraries. Stylistic parallels in Texas may be found in the Carnegie Library in Cleburne, Johnson County (National Register, 1976), or the Carnegie Library in Terrell, Kaufman County. Little information has survived on the architects of the Belton Library, Smith and Moore, but the contractor, Ben Lee, was well-known locally. He was also responsible for the construction of the Bell County Courthouse, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and other local landmarks.
Completed in 1904, the Carnegie Public Library has been an educational and cultural center for most of its eighty years, retaining its role as the city library until 1975. The City of Belton had severe financial difficulties for some decades after the early 1920s, and minimal public facilities were constructed in that time period. The library's lecture room/auditorium was, therefore, particularly important to the community, and provided space for lectures, little theater, graduation ceremonies, United Service Organization meetings, and dances. Additionally, civic organizations such as the Woman's Wednesday Club and the Century Club met at the Library for many years. The Library served the needs of the citizens of Belton, and people living in southern and western Bell County.
After the construction of a new public library several years ago, the Carnegie Library was designated the Bell County Museum. A gradual restoration program has resulted in the removal of later additions and modifications, and the building now looks much as it did upon completion in 1904. Of more than thirty Carnegie Libraries once found in Texas, only a dozen remain. The Belton Carnegie Library is one of the most intact and opulent of these few survivors.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON FILE IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER
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Note: MUCH more information exists on this building, and it has been cross-posted under, for starters: Museums, Dated Buildings, Texas Historical Markers ... for quickest navigation, click 'nearest waymarks' for links.