Bemidji Carnegie Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bemidji Carnegie Library
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Bemidji Carnegie Library from the west-northwest
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 426 Bemidji Avenue, Bemidji, Minnesota |
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| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1909 |
| Architect | Haxby & Gillespie |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| NRHP reference No. | 80001936 |
| Designated | November 25, 1980 |
The Bemidji Carnegie Library is an old library building in Bemidji, Minnesota. It was built in 1909 with money from Andrew Carnegie. This building served as the city's main library until 1961. It's now a historic landmark, recognized for its beautiful design and importance to education.
In the early 2000s, the building was in danger of being torn down. But it got a big makeover in 2019, costing $2.2 million! Today, the city of Bemidji uses the main floor for events. The basement is rented out for offices.
Contents
What Does the Library Look Like?
The Bemidji Carnegie Library sits in Library Park, right by Lake Bemidji. It's a typical one-story building, shaped like a rectangle. The style is called Neoclassical, which means it looks like old Greek and Roman buildings.
Building Materials and Design
The outside is made of brown brick with special Indiana Limestone decorations. It has a low, sloped roof. The building sits on a tall basement, about 5 feet above the ground. This basement is the same size as the building above it.
Inside, a stone staircase leads to the main floor. Here, you would find the library's main desk. It was in the middle of the building, under a small dome. There were also two rooms for reading. Behind these areas, there were shelves for books and storage rooms. The main floor had fancy, shiny oak wood everywhere.
How the Library Started
The first library in Bemidji was in the old courthouse. After a new courthouse was built in 1902, the library moved to its lower level. In 1904, a group called the Bemidji Public Library Association was formed.
Getting Funds from Andrew Carnegie
After three years of raising money, the Bemidji Public Library officially opened on February 25, 1907. In 1908, the library board chairman, A. P. Ritchie, wrote to Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie was a very rich businessman who gave money to build libraries all over the world. Ritchie wanted to see if Carnegie would help fund a new library building in Bemidji.
On March 23, 1908, the city council decided to close a part of Fifth Street. This was to make space for the new library building.
Changes to the Original Plan
The first design for the library included porches on both sides. These porches would have looked out over the lake. The architects thought these would be great for reading in the evenings. However, Andrew Carnegie thought the porches were not needed. So, they were removed from the plans. This made the building cheaper, fitting within Carnegie's donation of $12,500 (which would be about $426,000 today).
Thomas Johnson from Bemidji won the building contract. He agreed to build the library for $11,300 on August 7, 1909. The building was supposed to be finished by January 1, 1910. Johnson completed the work on time. The library opened in the winter and was officially dedicated in June.
Even though the porches were never built, doors were put on the lake side of the building. Maybe this was in case they wanted to add reading porches later. But no money was ever set aside for them.
Later Years of the Library
The building was completely updated in 1940. The story of this renovation, with pictures, was even featured in the Minneapolis Tribune newspaper. In the 1950s, city projects made Bemidji Avenue wider in front of the library. This meant more cars and made it harder to cross the street.
The building stopped being a library on November 28, 1961. The Bemidji Public Library moved to a bigger building. The old Carnegie Library was recognized as a historic site on November 25, 1980.
New Uses for the Historic Building
For a while, the Beltrami County Welfare Board used the space. Then, in 1983, a nonprofit group called the Bemidji Community Arts Council moved in. They used the old library as an art gallery. They also rented parts of it as studio space for local artists.
A big restoration project finished in August 2019. This project was mostly paid for by donations and grants. The inside and outside of the building were fixed up. A new, accessible entrance was added to the back. The windows and the heating and cooling system were also made modern. People first hoped to move the building further back from the street. But this idea was too expensive.
