Kingston City Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Kingston City Library
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North elevation, 2008
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| Location | Kingston, NY |
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| Built | 1903 |
| Architect | Raymond Almirall |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 95001404 |
| Added to NRHP | 1995 |
The old Kingston City Library building is found on Broadway in the middle of Kingston, New York. It is a brick building known as a Carnegie library. This means it was built in 1903 with money given by Andrew Carnegie, a very rich businessman who helped fund many libraries. The building was designed in the Classical Revival style, which looks like old Greek and Roman buildings.
This building was used as Kingston's main library until 1974. That's when a new, bigger library was built in the city's Stockade District. After the library moved out, the building became part of the Kingston City School District. For a while, it was used as offices for the cleaning staff at nearby Kingston High School.
In 1995, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important places in the United States that are worth protecting. Starting in 2009, the old library was fixed up and turned into a center for arts and technology. On September 12, 2011, it officially reopened as the Carnegie Learning Center. It is now used by Kingston High School students and the local community.
About the Building
The library building sits on a large piece of land on the south side of Broadway. It is a bit higher than the street. Across the street, you can see Kingston Hospital and City Hall. Kingston High School is right next door to the east.
The building is one and a half stories tall. It is made of brown brick and sits on a strong foundation of rough-cut bluestone. The main entrance in the front is made of limestone. It has a triangular top part called a pediment. This entrance is decorated with many classical designs. Two tall Ionic columns stand on either side of the main door. Above the door, there is a special carving of books and flowers. Limestone bands also go around the building at the bottom and top levels of the brick walls.
Inside, both floors are about 2,700 square feet (250 m2) in size. The lower floor used to have a lecture hall with a raised stage. It also had two study rooms and two bathrooms. A staircase with a Craftsman-style railing leads up to the main floor. Here, you can still see parts of a metal mezzanine where books were once stored. Glass walls with special leaded panes divide the rooms. There are also two old fireplaces at each end of the building.
History of the Library
Kingston got its first public library in 1899. This was about 25 years after the villages of Kingston and Rondout joined together. The first library was in a room at City Hall. But after only three years, it had already become too small.
In 1902, the library's leaders wrote to Andrew Carnegie. He was famous for giving money to build libraries all over the world. They wanted to know if he would help them build a new, separate library building.
Carnegie's secretary wrote back. He said that if the city of Kingston promised to spend $3,000 each year to keep the library running, Carnegie would give $30,000 to build it. The City Council agreed to this offer. They passed a law to make sure the money was set aside each year. A local steamboat owner named Samuel Coykendall gave the land for the new library.
Building started in 1903, and the new library opened its doors the next year. It stayed the city's main library until 1974. At that time, more space was needed, so the current library on Franklin Street was built.
After the library moved out, the old building became property of the school district. The inside was changed a lot to make classrooms, but this didn't work out well. For a while, it was used as offices for the high school's cleaning staff.
During this time, the building was not well cared for. The front entrance was even fenced off. But in 2009, people in the school district voted to approve a $3.6 million plan. This money was used to fix up the old library building. The goal was to turn it into a center for arts and technology. Today, the building is open and used by the Kingston City School District.
