1903 - The Richard Stockton College of NJ - Carnegie Library Center - Atlantic City, NJ - Dated Buildings and Cornerstones on Waymarking.com

This is such a beautiful building, almost surreal when considering the neighborhood and surrounding structures. There is a massive polished stone Roman numeral cornerstone, flush with the ground on the M.L.K. Blvd. The stone is part of the foundation and the date is etched into it. Like other Carnegie libraries this one has lots of frieze art and a magnificent entrance. Over the stone entrance is inscribed the phrase "Open to All".

The Carnegie building was abandoned, but has regained its purpose as the Carnegie Library Center of the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. It is different from other Carnegie libraries built because it is a wrap around structure while the other libraries have long front entrances and more box shape. This has lots of roundness and curves, perhaps to accommodate the intersection at which it is located.

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), and the City of Atlantic City collaborated in restoring the historic Carnegie Library in Atlantic City. The renovated and expanded Beaux-Arts building, provides the College with modern facilities in the heart of Atlantic City. The Richard Stockton College - Carnegie Library Center was named one of the top 150 Buildings and Places in New Jersey by the American Institute of Architects of New Jersey.

Renamed the Carnegie Library Center, it hosts undergraduate and graduate courses, continuing professional education programming, and special events relevant to the needs of Atlantic City and its surrounding region. A multi-use facility, Carnegie serves the College and the residents of Atlantic City and region as an educational and instructional facility, a meeting place, a conference center, and through community outreach

This architectural treasure, originally completed in 1904, was a gift to the residents of Atlantic City by steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The building served as the municipality’s Public Library for more than eighty years. Abandoned after the Atlantic City Free Public Library moved to a modern facility in 1985, the Carnegie Library was acquired from the City of Atlantic City by CRDA in the mid-1990’s. Undergoing more than $5 million dollars in renovations and improvements the now over 9,000 square-foot Library Center serves as Stockton’s gateway to Atlantic City.

Located one block from the World Famous Atlantic City Boardwalk, this three-story building, with its turn-of-the-century architecture, including its granite, marble, and terra cotta exterior, terrazzo floors, scagliola finished columns, and marble and iron staircases, continue Carnegie’s vision of learning and commitment to the community. The Center serves as a central means by which Stockton fulfills its continued responsibility of civic engagement. As the only public four-year institution of higher education located along the Jersey Shore, the building provides the College with a physical presence in Atlantic City for the first time in more than 30 years.

In 2006 the Carnegie Library Center won an Atlantic County Historic Preservation Award for Superior Example of Rehabilitation and Adaptive-Reuse of an Historic Structure. Nominated by the Atlantic Heritage Center, formerly the Atlantic County Historical Society, this award was given by the Atlantic County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs. SOURCE

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