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Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall (Carnegie, Pennsylvania) facts for kids
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Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie, Pennsylvania, USA |
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| Built | 1899 |
| Architect | Struthers & Hannah, Dushane & Lewis |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 81000523 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 8, 1981 |
The Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall is a special place in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. It's a public library and a music hall all in one building! This amazing building, which opened in 1901, was paid for by a famous businessman named Andrew Carnegie.
Like many other libraries he helped build, this one is a historic landmark. It's recognized on important lists like the List of Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks and the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
A Gift from Andrew Carnegie
Why Carnegie Built It
Andrew Carnegie decided to build this library because the town was named after him. In 1894, two nearby communities, Chartiers and Mansfield, joined together. They chose to name their new town "Carnegie" to honor him.
Carnegie was so touched by this gesture. He wanted to give something back to the town. So, he offered to build a public library right in the heart of their new community.
Building a Community Hub
On April 26, 1898, Andrew Carnegie gave the town a huge gift. He donated $200,000 to build the library. This money also paid for a music hall, a lecture hall, and a gymnasium.
He also gave an extra $10,000 to buy books for the new library. Any money left over helped start a special fund for the library's future. Construction started in October 1899. The building was finished quickly, opening in May 1901.
A Historic Landmark
The Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall is a very important building. It was added to the List of Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks in 1979. Then, on October 8, 1981, it joined the National Register of Historic Places.
This building is one of only three in the Chartiers Valley area to get this special recognition. It shows how important and unique this library and music hall truly are.
The Carnegie Formula
Andrew Carnegie built many libraries across the country. Most towns that received a Carnegie library had to follow a rule. This rule, called the "Carnegie Formula," meant the town had to use public taxes to help pay for the library each year.
However, the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall was different. It was one of only four Carnegie libraries that also received a special fund, called an endowment, from Andrew Carnegie. This meant the town didn't have to use its own taxes to fund the library. The endowment helped support it instead!