Jacksonville Public Library (Illinois)

The Jacksonville Public Library is a Carnegie library located at 201 West College Avenue in Jacksonville, Illinois. The library was built in 1902 to house the city's library program, which began in 1870. Chicago architects Patton & Miller designed the Classical Revival building. The building still houses the city's public library and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Jacksonville Public Library
Location201 W. College Ave., Jacksonville, Illinois
Coordinates39°43′56″N 90°13′49″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1902 (1902)
ArchitectPatton & Miller
Architectural styleClassical Revival
MPSIllinois Carnegie Libraries MPS
NRHP reference No.00000953[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 24, 2000

History

Jacksonville began its library program in 1870, but the library did not have a permanent home for its first three decades. The original program was a members-only program based out of the county courthouse. A free reading room opened in 1874, and the City of Jacksonville took control of the library in 1881; at this time, it was relocated to the city's YMCA. The library moved to a larger space in a building on South Main Street in 1897, but by this point it was growing fast enough to need a separate building. Lawyer L. O. Vaught petitioned Andrew Carnegie for a donation to build a library in 1901; the Carnegie Foundation gave the city $40,000 for a building. The library was built in 1902 and opened to the public in February of the following year.[2]

The library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 24, 2000.[1] The building was expanded in the 1990s and continues to house the city's library.[3]

Architecture

Chicago architects Patton & Miller, who designed over 80 library buildings, designed the library. The two-story library has a Classical Revival design and a cross-shaped plan, the preferred library plan of Carnegie's secretary James Bertram. A portico supported by four Corinthian columns covers the front entrance; the front door features glass sidelights and transoms. A dentillated and bracketed pediment tops the entrance, and a dentillated cornice runs along the library's roof line. Double pilasters mark each corner of the building.[2]

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References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Goldasich, Michael R. (January 10, 2000). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Jacksonville Public Library" (PDF). Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  3. "Library History". Jacksonville Public Library. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
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