Carnegie Library

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Carnegie Library

• By Cherisse Brady
• Krista Wassenaar

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Andrew Carnegie

• Born November 25, 1835.
• Moved to US in 1846.
• Owned nations largest steel plant.
• Sold his company to J.P. Morgan for 480
  million.
• Preached the Gospel of Wealth.
• Gave 311, 594, 230 in gifts to various
  organizations.

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Mankato, MN
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Mankato, MN

• On April 7, 1894 the Mankato City Council passed
  a resolution creating a Free Public Library.
• The library was first housed in the 2nd floor of
  the YMCA at 313-315 S Front St.
• Andrew Carnegie donated 40,000 to build a new
  public library.
• The city had to provide a suitable site and agree
  to continuous support through local tax funds.
• The City Council advertised a national
  competition for a library design -- for a prize
  of 100.

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The Structure in the Beginning

• The architects were Jardine, Kent, and Jardine.
• Its structure is one of only a few that included
  a rotunda for the shelves of books.
• Used a steel beam and truss roofing system to
  minimize the internal walls on the 1st floor.
• Downsized the original plan to come in under
  budget
• Contract price was 30,082 without electric
  wiring and fixtures.
• The contractors were J.B. Nelsen Company.
• Mankato stone was used exclusively for the
  building.

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The Interior in the Beginning

• 1,200 was budgeted for interior paint
  decoration.
• The painter was Odin Oyen.
• Used a strange mix of Egyptian, Greek, and
  Renaissance styles.
• Photographs of Oyens exquisite work were taken
  and exhibited at the national St. Louis
  Exposition.

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Interior Characteristics
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The Structure Today

• Underwent more than 450,000 of restoration work
  and remodeling.
• The exterior was sandblasted and cleaned.
• The building was brought into fire code
  compliance.
• Electrical re-wiring was done to the entire
  building.
• Plumbing was updated.
• Roof was repaired.

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The Carnegie Arts Center

• It is the largest visual arts center in south
  central Minnesota.
• Founded in 1979 by the Mankato Area Arts Council.
• It purchased the historical Carnegie Library in
  1981.
• It is a community-based, nonprofit arts
  organization committed to strengthening local
  visual arts.
• It houses the works of local artists.

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Works Cited

• Bobinski, George S. Carnegie Libraries Their
  History and Impact on American Public Library
  Development. Chicago American Library
  Association, 1969
• Berkin, Miller, Cherny, Gormly, Making America
  A History of the United States, Vol. Two Since
  1865, Second Edition
• Carnegie, Andrew. Autobiography of Andrew
  Carnegie. Boston and New York Houghton and
  Mifflin Company, 1920
• Special Thanks to
• Rosemary Froen for the use of her grant request
  presentation.
• Blue Earth Historical Society for the use of
  their archives.