Perry Carnegie Library Building
The Perry Carnegie Library Building, also known as the Carnegie Library Museum, is a historic structure located in Perry, Iowa, United States. The Perry Library Association was established in 1894, and William Tarr served as its first librarian.[2] Andrew Carnegie accepted Perry's application for a grant for $10,600 on January 13, 1903.[3] The Des Moines architectural firm of Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen designed the Neoclassical building that was built by local contractor Courtney and Bolt. It opened in September 1904 was dedicated on December 10.
Perry Carnegie Library Building | |
Entrance to the library | |
Location | 1123 Willis Ave. Perry, Iowa |
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Coordinates | 41°50′18″N 94°6′18″W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1908 |
Built by | Courtney and Bolt |
Architect | Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen |
Architectural style | Classical Revival |
Part of | Downtown Perry Historic District (ID00001005) |
MPS | Public Library Buildings in Iowa TR |
NRHP reference No. | 96001061[1] |
Added to NRHP | October 3, 1996 |
The "L" shaped building is designed to fit into its triangular lot. The inside of the "L" is filled in and features a rounded outer wall. The building served as a public library for close to 90 years when a new library was built across the street. It was then renovated for use as a library museum. Its collection includes many of the 1,000 original titles from the library, a special collection of Midwest literature, women's fiction, children's books, and books on literacy and libraries.[4] The Carnegie Library Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.[1] It was included as a contributing building in the Downtown Perry Historic District in 2000.[5]
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- Michael W. Farley. "Perry Carnegie Library Building". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
- "Carnegie Libraries of Iowa Project-Perry Public Library". University of Iowa. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
- "Carnegie Library". City of Perry, Iowa. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
- William C. Page. "Downtown Perry Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-04-03.