List of Carnegie libraries in Ohio
The following list of Carnegie libraries in Ohio provides detailed information on United States Carnegie libraries in Ohio, where 104 public libraries were built from 79[1] grants (totaling $2,846,484) awarded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York from 1899 to 1915. In addition, academic libraries were built at 7 institutions (totaling $368,445).
Key
Building still operating as a library
Building standing, but now serving another purpose
Building no longer standing
Building listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Building contributes to a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places
Public libraries
Library | City or town |
Image | Date granted[2] |
Grant amount[2][3] |
Location | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Akron | Akron | ![]() |
Dec 24, 1901 | $82,000 | 69 E. Market St. | Open 1904–1942, now law offices |
2 | Alliance | Alliance | ![]() |
Jan 13, 1903 | $25,000 | NE corner of S. Arch Ave. & High St. | Demolished 1974 |
3 | Amherst | Amherst | ![]() |
Mar 8, 1904 | $10,000 | 221 Spring St. | |
4 | Ashtabula | Ashtabula | ![]() |
Mar 6, 1901 | $15,000 | 335 W. 44th St. | |
5 | Athens | Athens | Dec 16, 1903 | $30,000 | 32 Park Place | Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. Originally a public library on the Ohio University campus. Open 1905–1930, now Scripps Hall, used for classroom space | |
6 | Bellefontaine | Bellefontaine | ![]() |
Jan 6, 1903 | $14,000 | 140 N. Main St. | Closed 1994, Became county offices. 2020 - Purchased by Richwood Bank. |
7 | Bellevue | Bellevue | ![]() |
Jan 13, 1903 | $13,600 | 224 E. Main St. | |
8 | Bristolville | Bristolville | ![]() |
Apr 25, 1911 | $6,000 | 1855 Greenville Rd. | |
9 | Bryan | Bryan | Feb 12, 1903 | $10,000 | 107 E. High St. | ||
10 | Bucyrus | Bucyrus | ![]() |
Jun 1, 1903 | $15,000 | 200 E. Mansfield St. | |
11 | Cambridge | Cambridge | ![]() |
Jan 22, 1902 | $21,000 | 800 Steubenville Ave. | Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. |
12 | Canton | Canton | Apr 15, 1901 | $60,000 | 236 3rd St. SW | Open 1903–1978, now law offices | |
13 | Carey | Carey | ![]() |
Dec 30, 1904 | $8,000 | 236 E. Findlay St. | |
14 | Celina | Celina | ![]() |
Dec 30, 1904 | $12,000 | 303 N. Main St. | Building replaced by the Dwyer Mercer County District Library in 1970. After further expansion, name changed to Mercer County District Library in 1994. |
15 | Chillicothe | Chillicothe | ![]() |
Apr 13, 1903 | $30,000 | 140 S. Paint St. | |
16 | Cincinnati Avondale | Cincinnati | ![]() |
Apr 9, 1902 | $286,000 | 3566 Reading Rd. | Opened 1913 |
17 | Cincinnati Cumminsville | Cincinnati | ![]() |
Apr 9, 1902 | — | 4219 Hamilton Ave. | Opened 1908, now Northside Branch |
18 | Cincinnati East End | Cincinnati | ![]() |
Apr 9, 1902 | — | 3738 Eastern Ave. | Open 1907–1959. Now The Carnegie Center |
19 | Cincinnati Hyde Park | Cincinnati | ![]() |
Apr 9, 1902 | — | 2747 Erie Ave. | Built 1912 |
20 | Cincinnati North Cincinnati | Cincinnati | ![]() |
Apr 9, 1902 | — | 2802 Vine St. | Opened 1907, now Corryville Branch |
21 | Cincinnati Norwood | Norwood | ![]() |
Nov 3, 1904 | $23,000 | 4325 Montgomery Rd. | Opened 1907 |
22 | Cincinnati Price Hill | Cincinnati | ![]() |
Apr 9, 1902 | — | 3215 Warsaw Ave. | Opened 1909 |
23 | Cincinnati Walnut Hills | Cincinnati | ![]() |
Apr 9, 1902 | — | 2533 Kemper Ln. | Opened 1906 |
24 | Cincinnati West End | Cincinnati | ![]() |
Apr 9, 1902 | — | 924 Dayton St. | Opened 1908, demolished 1947 |
25 | Cleveland Broadway | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | $590,000 | 5437 Broadway Ave. | Open 1906–1987, later became a church, purchased in 2022 and reopened in 2023 as the Darl Center for Performing Arts |
26 | Cleveland Brooklyn | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 3706 Pearl Rd. | Opened 1919 |
27 | Cleveland Carnegie West | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 1900 Fulton Rd. | Opened 1910 |
28 | Cleveland East 79th | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 1215 E. 79th St. | Open 1916–1989, now a drug abuse treatment program |
29 | Cleveland Hough | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 1765 Crawford Rd. | Open 1907–1984, later African American Museum, closed since 2005. On Preservation Ohio's 2020 most endangered historic sites list. |
30 | Cleveland Jefferson | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 850 Jefferson Ave. | Opened 1918 |
31 | Cleveland Lorain | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 8216 Lorain Ave. | Opened 1912 |
32 | Cleveland Miles Park | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 9250 Miles Park Ave. | |
33 | Cleveland Quincy | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 2390 E. 79th St. | Open 1914–1977 |
34 | Cleveland Saint Clair | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 1368 E. 55th St. | Open 1905–1946, now Goodrich-Gannett Neighborhood Center |
35 | Cleveland South | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 3096 Scranton Rd. | Closed since March 2013 but reopened on December 1, 2018. |
36 | Cleveland Sterling | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 2200 E. 30th St. | Opened 1913 |
37 | Cleveland Superior | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 1351 E. 105th St. | Closed 1990 |
38 | Cleveland Woodland | Cleveland | ![]() |
Apr 4, 1903 | — | 5806 Woodland Ave. | Opened 1904, burned 1957 |
39 | Clyde | Clyde | ![]() |
Dec 2, 1904 | $12,500 | 222 W. Buckeye St. | |
40 | Columbus | Columbus | ![]() |
Dec 30, 1901 | $200,000 | 96 S. Grant Ave. | |
41 | Conneaut | Conneaut | ![]() |
Dec 2, 1904 | $25,000 | 282 State St. | Open 1909–1998, vacant |
42 | Coshocton | Coshocton | ![]() |
Dec 27, 1902 | $17,000 | 4th and Chestnut Sts. | Open 1904–1974, vacant |
43 | Dayton East 5th | Dayton | ![]() |
Jan 6, 1911 | $50,000 | 2160 E. 5th St. | formerly housed the Dayton Southeast Priority Board (1999-2012), during which time (2008) it received an Ohio Historic Preservation Merit Award; currently being used as the administrative office for the St. Mary Development Organization |
44 | Dayton West 5th | Dayton | ![]() |
Jan 6, 1911 | — | 1612 W. 5th St. | Burned in 1979 |
45 | Defiance | Defiance | ![]() |
Nov 25, 1903 | $22,000 | 320 Fort St. | |
46 | Delaware | Delaware | ![]() |
Dec 27, 1902 | $21,500 | 101 N. Sandusky St. | Now County offices. |
47 | Delphos | Delphos | ![]() |
May 2, 1911 | $12,500 | 309 W. 2nd St. | Opened 1912 |
48 | East Cleveland | East Cleveland | ![]() |
Dec 20, 1904 | $35,000 | 14101 Euclid Ave. | |
49 | East Liverpool | East Liverpool | ![]() |
Jun 30, 1899 | $50,000 | 219 E. 4th St. | First (along with Steubenville) Carnegie Library in Ohio |
50 | Fostoria | Fostoria | ![]() |
Mar 20, 1903 | $20,000 | 205 Perry St. | Opened 1914, extensively altered |
51 | Galion | Galion | ![]() |
Apr 11, 1902 | $15,000 | 123 N. Market St. | |
52 | Gallipolis | Gallipolis | ![]() |
Dec 27, 1902 | $12,500 | 61 State St. | Now a school district office |
53 | Geneva | Geneva | ![]() |
Dec 14, 1908 | $10,000 | 117 W. Main St. | Open 1910–1997, now a courthouse |
54 | Germantown | Germantown | Dec 20, 1904 | $10,000 | 47 W. Center St. | Closed 1984, now historical society | |
55 | Greenville | Greenville | ![]() |
Mar 7, 1901 | $25,000 | 520 Sycamore St. | |
56 | Kent | Kent | ![]() |
Aug 16, 1901 | $11,500 | 312 W. Main St. | |
57 | Kenton | Kenton | ![]() |
Jan 22, 1902 | $20,000 | 121 N. Detroit St. | Now a dentist office |
58 | Kinsman | Kinsman | ![]() |
Mar 29, 1911 | $7,000 | 6420 Church St. | |
59 | Lakewood | Lakewood | ![]() |
May 2, 1907 | $44,600 | 15425 Detroit Ave. | |
60 | Lebanon | Lebanon | ![]() |
Feb 20, 1903 | $10,000 | 101 S. Broadway | Opened 1908 |
61 | Lima | Lima | ![]() |
Jun 21, 1901 | $34,000 | corner of McDonel and Market St. | |
62 | London | London | ![]() |
Mar 14, 1902 | $10,000 | 20 E. 1st St. | |
63 | Lorain | Lorain | ![]() |
Jul 8, 1902 | $30,000 | 329 W. 10th St. | Open 1904–1957. Now home to the Lorain Historical Society which invested $2 million into renovations and reopened both floors in November 2015. |
64 | Madison | Madison | ![]() |
Jun 1, 1915 | $10,000 | 126 W. Main St. | Open 1919–1974, future home of the Madison Historical Society |
65 | Mansfield | Mansfield | ![]() |
Mar 27, 1903 | $37,000 | 43 W. 3rd St. | |
66 | Marietta | Marietta | ![]() |
Jan 2, 1913 | $30,000 | 615 5th St. | Only library in the United States built atop an Indian mound. |
67 | Marion | Marion | ![]() |
Dec 27, 1902 | $30,000 | 244 S. Main St. | Open 1907–1980, now a church |
68 | Marysville | Marysville | ![]() |
Nov 27, 1906 | $10,000 | 231 S. Court St. | Demolished. |
69 | Maumee | Maumee | Sep 29, 1915 | $10,000 | 501 River Rd. | ||
70 | Miamisburg | Miamisburg | ![]() |
Dec 24, 1908 | $12,500 | 426 Central Ave. | Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. Open 1910–1981, now a civic center. |
71 | Middleport | Middleport | ![]() |
Jan 31, 1911 | $8,100 | 178 S. 3rd St. | Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1986. |
72 | Middletown | Middletown | ![]() |
Apr 26, 1902 | $25,000 | 1320 1st Ave. | Open 1913–1983, vacant |
73 | Milan | Milan | ![]() |
Jan 6, 1911 | $8,000 | 19 E. Church St. | |
74 | Mount Sterling | Mount Sterling | ![]() |
Jan 23, 1911 | $10,000 | 60 W. Columbus St. | |
75 | Napoleon | Napoleon | ![]() |
Mar 29, 1911 | $10,000 | 845 Woodlawn Ave. | Open 1913–1965, now library storage |
76 | New London | New London | ![]() |
Jun 11, 1914 | $10,000 | 67 S. Main St. | Opened 1916 |
77 | Norwalk | Norwalk | ![]() |
Feb 2, 1903 | $15,000 | 46 W. Main St. | Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. Opened 1905. |
78 | Paulding | Paulding | ![]() |
Jul 13, 1912 | $40,000 | 205 S. Main St. | The first Carnegie library to serve an entire county |
79 | Pickerington | Pickerington | ![]() |
Jan 27, 1912 | $10,000 | 15 W. Columbus St. | Now houses township historical society |
80 | Pomeroy | Pomeroy | ![]() |
Jan 27, 1912 | $10,000 | 200 E. 2nd St. | Designed by Columbus architects Richard Z. Dawson Jr. and Harry Clyde Holbrook. Open 1914–1989. Now law offices. |
81 | Portsmouth | Portsmouth | Jul 8, 1901 | $50,000 | 1220 Gallia St. | Opened 1906 | |
82 | Ripley | Ripley | ![]() |
Jan 2, 1913 | $10,000 | 27 Main St. | Opened 1915 |
83 | Rockford | Rockford | ![]() |
Jan 18, 1910 | $10,000 | 162 S. Main St. | |
84 | Salem | Salem | ![]() |
Jan 22, 1903 | $20,000 | 821 E. State St. | Opened 1905 |
85 | Sandusky | Sandusky | ![]() |
Aug 7, 1899 | $50,000 | 114 W. Adams St. | Opened 1901. On property adjacent to the Library is the former Erie County Jail, built in 1883. In 1996, the Library purchased the Jail from Erie County and embarked upon a $10 million expansion project to renovate and connect the two National Register of Historic Places buildings with new space. The Grand Opening and Rededication of the new Library was held on January 11, 2004. |
86 | South Brooklyn | South Brooklyn | ![]() |
Mar 27, 1903 | $11,800 | Pearl Rd. and Devonshire Rd. | Open 1905–1936 |
87 | Steubenville | Steubenville | ![]() |
Jun 30, 1899 | $62,000 | 407 S. 4th St. | First (along with East Liverpool) Carnegie Library approved in Ohio. Opened March 12, 1902. Renovated & Enlarged 2018. |
88 | Tiffin | Tiffin | ![]() |
Feb 15, 1912 | $25,000 | 108 Jefferson St. | Open 1913–1976, now court offices |
89 | Toledo Jermain | Toledo | Dec 16, 1905 | $125,000 | 315 Galena St. | Open 1918–1974, now a church | |
90 | Toledo Kent | Toledo | ![]() |
Dec 16, 1905 | — | 3026 Collingwood Blvd. | |
91 | Toledo Locke | Toledo | Dec 16, 1905 | — | 806 Main St. | Open 1917–2007, vacant | |
92 | Toledo Mott | Toledo | ![]() |
Dec 16, 1905 | — | 1055 Dorr St. | |
93 | Toledo South | Toledo | Dec 16, 1905 | — | 1638 Broadway | Open 1918–2004, health care clinic | |
94 | Upper Sandusky | Upper Sandusky | ![]() |
Jan 23, 1911 | $10,000 | 224 W. Johnson St. | Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. Open 1914–1986, now a doctor's office. |
95 | Warren | Warren | ![]() |
Apr 23, 1903 | $28,384 | 120 High St., NW | |
96 | Washington Court House | Washington Court House | ![]() |
Dec 30, 1901 | $15,500 | 127 S. North St. | Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. Opened 1904. |
97 | Wauseon | Wauseon | Nov 25, 1903 | $8,000 | 117 E. Elm St. | Opened 1906 | |
98 | Wellsville | Wellsville | ![]() |
Feb 15, 1912 | $10,000 | 115 9th St. | |
99 | Willoughby | Willoughby | ![]() |
Dec 13, 1906 | $14,500 | 30 Public Sq. | Opened 1909 |
100 | Wilmington | Wilmington | ![]() |
Feb 4, 1902 | $12,500 | 268 N. South St. | Opened 1904 |
101 | Wooster | Wooster | ![]() |
Feb 2, 1903 | $15,000 | 304 N. Market St. | Demolished 1967 |
102 | Xenia | Xenia | ![]() |
Jan 10, 1902 | $23,500 | 194 E. Church St. | Opened 1908, vacant since the 1974 Xenia tornado |
103 | Youngstown | Youngstown | ![]() |
Feb 19, 1908 | $50,000 | 305 Wick Ave. | Called the Reuben McMillan Free Library |
104 | Zanesville | Zanesville | ![]() |
Dec 16, 1905 | $54,000 | 220 N. 5th St. |
Academic libraries
Institution | Locality | Image | Year granted[4] |
Grant amount[4] |
Location | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cedarville College | Cedarville | ![]() |
Dec 28, 1905 | $11,795 | 160 N. Main St. | Open 1908–1960, now art studios |
2 | Heidelberg University | Tiffin | ![]() |
Mar 15, 1905 | $25,000 | 28 Greenfield St. 41°6′55″N 83°10′5″W / 41.11528°N 83.16806°W |
Open 1912–1967, now Pfleiderer Hall, houses humanities |
3 | Marietta College | Marietta | ![]() |
Jan 7, 1905 | $40,000 | 215 Fifth St. | Open 1906–1961, now Irvine Administration Building |
4 | Miami University | Oxford | ![]() |
Mar 31, 1905 May 2, 1921 |
$40,000 $50,000 |
101 Alumni Hall | Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard and built by Henry Karg of Westerville. Called Alumni Hall, it was the school's original library until 1973. Now houses the Department of Architecture and Interior Design. |
5 | Oberlin College | Oberlin | ![]() |
Jan 20, 1905 | $150,000 | 52 W. Lorain St. | Open 1908–1974, now used for Oberlin College Library storage and offices |
6 | Otterbein University | Westerville | ![]() |
Apr 3, 1905 | $20,000 | 102 W. College Ave. | Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard and built by Henry Karg of Westerville. Opened 1908. Renamed Clippinger Hall after Walter Gillan Clippinger, longest serving Otterbein president (1909-1939). Now houses Office of Admission. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 2021. Carnegie Libraries of Ohio written by Mary Ellen Armentrout, Otterbein Class of 1966. |
7 | Wilberforce University | Wilberforce | ![]() |
Feb 15, 1904 | $17,950 | 1400 Brush Row Rd. | Open 1909–1976, now part of National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center |
Notes
- ^ Both Bobinski and Jones make errors with their numbers in Ohio—Bobinski reports only 77 grants, while Jones counts South Brooklyn twice and thus reports 106 libraries.
- ^ a b At various times, Bobinski and Jones disagree on these numbers. In these cases, Jones' numbers have been used due to both a more recent publication date and a more detailed gazetteer of branch libraries, which are often where the discrepancies occur.
- ^ Grants for multiple libraries (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, and Toledo) are listed only by their total amount, not broken down for each branch.
- ^ a b Miller, pp. 38–40
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
References
- Anderson, Florence (1963). Carnegie Corporation Library Program 1911–1961. New York: Carnegie Corporation. OCLC 1282382.
- Armentrout, Mary Ellen (2003). Carnegie Libraries of Ohio. Wellington, Ohio: Mary Ellen Armentrout. ISBN 0615122531. OCLC 51391494.
- Bobinski, George S. (1969). Carnegie Libraries: Their History and Impact on American Public Library Development. Chicago: American Library Association. ISBN 0-8389-0022-4.
- Jones, Theodore (1997). Carnegie Libraries Across America. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-14422-3.
- Miller, Durand R. (1943). Carnegie Grants for Library Buildings, 1890-1917. New York: Carnegie Corporation of New York. OCLC 2603611.
Note: The above references, while all authoritative, are not entirely mutually consistent. Some details of this list may have been drawn from one of the references without support from the others. Reader discretion is advised.