Phoenix Carnegie Library and Library Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Phoenix Carnegie Library and Library Park
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 Location in Arizona
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1101 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona |
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| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1908 |
| Architect | Millard & Creighton; William R. Norton; Reeves & Baillie |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000456 |
| Added to NRHP | November 19, 1974 |
The Phoenix Carnegie Library and Library Park is a special old building in Phoenix, Arizona. Today, it's known as the Carnegie Center. It was finished in 1908 and became a historic site in 1974.
Contents
How the Library Started
The very first public library in Phoenix opened in 1898. A group called the Friday Club worked hard to make it happen. They collected books and found two rooms for the library. These rooms were on the second floor of a big office building downtown.
People really liked the new library. So, in 1899, the Phoenix Library Association was created. The library then moved to a bigger room in Phoenix City Hall. This room became free when the state government moved to a new building. For the first time, all the books were organized using the Dewey system. This system helps people find books easily.
The library was so successful that it needed a more permanent home. The Library Association wanted the city to take over the project. This finally happened in March 1901. That's when the Phoenix Public Library officially started. It had 1,350 books at that time.
Getting Help from Andrew Carnegie
Since 1899, the Library Association had been trying to get money from Andrew Carnegie. He was a very rich businessman who gave a lot of money to build libraries across the country. In 1901, the Phoenix Woman's Club joined the effort.
By 1902, things started to look up. The city agreed to pay 10% of the money needed for the library. They also agreed to collect a yearly tax to help run it. In June, the city promised to provide the land if Carnegie gave the money.
But there was a small problem. Carnegie looked at the 1900 population count for Phoenix. It said only 5,500 people lived there. So, he thought $15,000 would be enough money. However, by 1903, a group showed him that Phoenix had grown a lot. The population was actually around 14,000 people! They also explained that the closest public libraries were far away. They were in Tucson and Prescott. This meant the whole Salt River Valley really needed a library. Carnegie understood and agreed to give the original amount of $25,000.
Building the Library
In July 1904, the city accepted Carnegie's offer. Then, they had to find the perfect spot for the new library. The first place they picked didn't work out. So, they chose a second spot called Neahr's Park. This park covered two city blocks on West Washington Street. It was a great location, right between the courthouse and the state capitol building. Mr. Neahr generously gave the land to the city.
In 1905, the city approved the building plans. A Phoenix architect named William R. Norton drew the first plans. Later, another architect, William H. Reeves, made some changes to the plans. A group of trustees was chosen to oversee the project. By 1906, the building project was handled by Millard & Creighton. Their plans were approved in April.
What Happened Next
The beautiful red brick building was finished and opened its doors on February 14, 1908. It served as the main library until a new, bigger library was built in 1952.
Since then, the building has been used for many different things. It was a recreation hall, a social service center, and even a storage place. In 1984, the building was fixed up for $1.3 million. The state then rented it from the city. In 1987, it reopened as the Arizona Hall of Fame Museum.
The building closed in 2001 because of safety worries. But it reopened in 2003! Since then, it has been used for offices and museum space for the Arizona State Library. It is also home to the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame.
