The Carnegie Libraries of Cincinnati

Photography byTim Jeffries

The Carnegie Libraries of Cincinnati

Photography byTim Jeffries

The Andrew Carnegie Foundation and The Public Library Of

Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Andrew Carnegie had very little formal education in his home country of Scotland. When he was 12 years old, his family relocated to Allegheny, Pennsylvania, a suburb

of Pittsburgh, where he found work in a textile factory, helping to support his family. His first experience with a library happened when he met Colonel James Anderson, who

opened his personal library every Saturday to any young worker wishing to read a book. Through this act of generosity, Carnegie stated that the Colonel “opened to

me the intellectual wealth of the world”. Carnegie was so influenced by this experience that he vowed if he ever became wealthy, he would do what he could to make

information available to other poor workers.

Carnegie spent a lifetime building an industrial empire and accumulating a fortune of more than $400 million. He never forgot the impact that Colonel Anderson’s library

had on him in his youth. He felt obliged to do something with his wealth, and free libraries was one of the seven fields of philanthropy in which he thought his wealth

could be used to benefit society. Starting in 1881, Carnegie made grants to communities for the building of libraries, with the first grant being given to his own

hometown of Dunfermline, Scotland.

A grant of $280,000 was given to Cincinnati; the money was used to build nine Carnegie libraries between 1905 and 1915. Eight of the buildings remain today, with

seven of the buildings still functioning as libraries.

Avondale Branch

The Avondale Branch is one of the nine area libraries in Hamilton County built with funds provided by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.

Designed by the architectural firm Garber and Woodward, the Spanish Colonial style structure features a Rookwood tile entry, decorative iron work, and a domed ceiling. A Rookwood drinking

fountain was presented to the branch by the Avondale Improvement Association to mark its

opening on March 1, 1913.

Carnegie Grant: $45,293Architects: Garber & Woodward (Cincinnati)

Size: 71’ x 82’

Corryville Branch

The North Cincinnati Branch opened on April 2, 1907, built with funds provided by the Andrew Carnegie

Foundation. Large stone columns flank the entrance of the Renaissance Revival building, and a decorated stone pediment tops the doorway. The interior is dominated by a

large stained glass dome supported by a circle of oak columns. In 1996, the facility underwent a major

renovation and restoration project. When it reopened in August of 1997 it was renamed the Corryville Branch to

better reflect the community it serves.

Carnegie Grant: $46,805Architect: Edward L. Tilton (New York)

Size: 85’ x 89’

Hyde Park Branch

From 1899 to 1911, library services were offered in Hyde Park through a delivery

station in a drugstore. The current building was built with funds donated by the Andrew

Carnegie Foundation in 1912 and is one of the seven remaining Carnegie libraries in Hamilton

County. In 1970, the branch underwent an extensive expansion and renovation project. At that time, a fish pond and a hand-painted mural

(“A Children’s Party in a Forest” by Michael Scott) were installed in the Children’s Room.

Carnegie Grant: $39,094Architect: Edward L. Tilton (New York)

Size: 60’ x 70’

Northside Branch

The Cumminsville Branch opened as a modest facility in rooms on the corner of Hoffner and

Spring Grove Avenues on June 10, 1879. Funding problems forced the library to close in 1882. In 1904, Northside residents appealed to the Cincinnati Public Library to reopen the

branch. Funded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, a new building was opened to the

public in April of 1908. An extensive renovation and remodeling project begun in August of

1999 temporarily closed the library. In September of 2000, it reopened as the

Northside Branch Library

Carnegie Grant: $31,961Architects: Tietig & Lee (Cincinnati)

Size: 90’ x 54’

Norwood Branch

Library service in the Village of Norwood began in 1898, when the Cincinnati and Hamilton County

library system established a book delivery station in a drugstore. The current building, completed in 1907, was built with funds donated by the Andrew

Carnegie Foundation. The Italian Renaissance style structure features two Rookwood urns

near the front entrance and two Clement Barnhorn bas reliefs. In 2001, a number of

improvements were made to the existing facility, including the restoration of some of the

building’s original architectural elements and the purchase of new furniture, shelving, carpeting,

lighting and computer equipment.

Carnegie Grant: $25,000Architects: Werner & Adkins (Cincinnati)

Size: 78’ x 70’

Price Hill Branch

The Price Hill Branch, which opened in 1909, is one of the nine area libraries in Hamilton County

built with funds provided by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. Notable features of the French Renaissance style brick and limestone building include a roof with tin deck and slate

slopes, fleur-de-lis grid over the doors, bird head door handles, and cherry wood shelves.

Carnegie Grant: $26,707Architects: Garber & Woodward (Cincinnati)

Size: 68’ x 68’

Walnut Hills Branch

Walnut Hills Branch Library opened in April 7, 1906, replacing two neighborhood deposit

stations. Designed in the French Renaissance style, it was the first of nine branch libraries in

Cincinnati built through the generosity of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The twin

columns at the entrance arrived from Munich, Germany, with the Tyler Davidson Fountain, and

later were incorporated into the building’s design. Paintings in the adult reading room are the

gift of a local artist. Other special features include the original birch-stained mahogany

woodwork and the stained glass window in the vestibule, a gift commissioned and purchased for

the library by an area couple.

Carnegie Grant: $46,150Architects: McLaughlin & Gilmore (Cincinnati)

Size: 99’ x 74’

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