This is an incomplete list of Carnegie libraries in Europe.
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A Carnegie library was built in the 1920s for the University of Leuven to replace a building destroyed in the First World War.
Funding came from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which also built libraries in the war-damaged cities of Rheims and Belgrade. The architect of the Leuven library was Whitney Warren. Although the architect was American, he employed a Flemish style for this commission. His building in turn suffered severe damage in the Second World War, but has been restored. (For more details of this library, see Catholic University of Leuven.)
The Carnegie library of Reims is the single Carnegie library in France. Reims was devastated in the First World War and the losses included library accommodation in the town-hall. The provision of a new library was conceived as a contribution to the city's reconstruction. Reims was one of three "front-line" cities to be given a Carnegie library, the other two being Leuven and Belgrade.
The Art Deco building was finished in 1927, and opened the following year in the presence of Gaston Doumergue, the French President and Myron T. Herrick, the US ambassador. The building was restored at the beginning of the 21st century. The library stock includes some materials that survived World War I. [1]
Carnegie libraries are to be found throughout Ireland. [2] [3] Libraries vary considerably in size, some of the rural ones being very small, but the smallest must be the cabinets used for the Carnegie Library Lighthouse Service. 80 were constructed originally and 62 survive in their current form as of 2020 although some no longer function as libraries. [4]
A full list and description of Carnegie libraries in Ireland is in Irish Carnegie Libraries: a Catalogue & Architectural History. [5] The examples listed below are in the Republic of Ireland.
County | Location and street | Image | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Cork | Anglesea Street | ![]() | foundation stone laid 1903; destroyed in the Burning of Cork [6] |
Cork | Ashe Street. Youghal | Also used as a Quaker meeting house [7] | |
Cork | Millstreet | ||
Dublin | Balbriggan | ![]() | Built c1905 [8] |
Dublin | Ballsbridge | (1929) [9] | |
Dublin | Blackrock, Dublin | | [10] |
Dublin | Cabinteely | [11] [12] | |
Dublin | Clondalkin | [13] | |
Dublin | Dalkey | [14] | |
Dublin | Charleville Mall, North Strand | ![]() | [15] |
Dublin | Dundrum, Dublin | still in use as a library [16] [17] | |
Dublin | Dún Laoghaire | [18] [19] | |
Dublin | Garristown | ![]() | 1912 [20] |
Dublin | Glencullen | 1907 [21] | |
Dublin | Kish Bank lighthouse | | [22] |
Dublin | Lusk, Dublin | ![]() | (1908) [23] |
Dublin | Malahide | ![]() | |
Dublin | Pearse Street, Dublin City Public Libraries and Archive | ![]() | |
Dublin | Rathmines | (1913) [24] | |
Dublin | Sandyford | ![]() | [25] |
Dublin | Shankill | (1912, R.M Butler) [26] | |
Dublin | Skerries, Dublin | ![]() | Strand street. 1911, still in use as a library [27] [28] |
Dublin | Swords, Dublin | ![]() | |
Dublin | Whitechurch, Dublin | ![]() | (1911) [29] [30] |
Kerry | Caherciveen | [31] | |
Kerry | Castleisland | [32] | |
Kerry | Dingle | [33] [34] | |
Kerry | Kenmare | ![]() | [35] |
Kerry | Killorglin | 1909 [36] | |
Kerry | Listowel | [37] [38] | |
Kerry | Tralee | ||
Kilkenny | Kilkenny city, John's Quay | ![]() | 1910, still in use as a library [39] |
Limerick | Athea | 1917 [40] | |
Limerick | Askeaton | [41] | |
Limerick | Ballyhahill | [42] | |
Limerick | Ballysteen | [43] | |
Limerick | Broadford, County Limerick | [44] | |
Limerick | Clouncagh | 1917 [45] | |
Limerick | Croagh | [46] | |
Limerick | Feenagh, County Limerick | [47] | |
Limerick | Kilcolman | [48] | |
Limerick | Kildimo | [49] | |
Limerick | Pery Square, Limerick City | ![]() | 1906, Limerick City Gallery of Art [50] |
Limerick | Newcastle West | [51] [52] | |
Limerick | Pallaskenry | [53] | |
Limerick | Rathkeale | [43] | |
Limerick | Shanagolden, County Limerick | [54] | |
Louth | Drogheda | [55] | |
Waterford | Ballyduff, County Waterford | [56] | |
Waterford | Cappoquin | [57] | |
Waterford | Lismore, County Waterford | 1910 [58] | |
Waterford | Tallow, County Waterford | [59] | |
Waterford | Waterford City Library | ![]() | foundation stone laid 1903 – first Carnegie library in Ireland and still in use [60] |
Wicklow | Bray, County Wicklow | [61] | |
Wicklow | Enniskerry | [62] | |
Wicklow | Greystones | [63] [64] |
The Peace Palace Library is a library in The Hague. A financial donation by Andrew Carnegie made the construction of the Peace Palace possible.
The Belgrade University Library, Serbia, is a Carnegie library. [65] Much of Belgrade was destroyed in the First World War, and in the 1920s it became one of three "front-line" cities to receive a Carnegie library, the other two being Leuven and Rheims.
The Dunfermline Carnegie Library was the first Carnegie library to be built in Scotland; it opened in Carnegie's birthplace in 1883. Carnegie libraries in England began to be built at the beginning of the 20th century. In his retirement, Carnegie divided his time between the US and Scotland, and opened some British libraries personally.
In Britain the process of applying for a Carnegie library was broadly similar to that in the US. It was adapted to British legislation, e.g. the Public Libraries Act, which permitted expenditure from the rates on local libraries. Carnegie assessed applications using criteria which favoured poorer towns, but applicants had to undertake to support their library, providing it with books etc. from the rates. While most towns were very grateful to receive a grant, Carnegie's project was not without controversy. For example, some people objected to the way in which he had made his money. In the case of Stratford-on-Avon there were objections to the proposed building for conservation reasons, and this resulted in a library which blends into the half-timbered neighbouring buildings. [66]
Most Carnegie libraries served the general population of towns and cities, but he also provided some academic libraries in the UK. (This pattern of town and academic libraries was in line with his policy in the US where he provided a number of college libraries, for example at Tuskegee University. [67] ) In Stoke-on-Trent the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust funded a specialist ceramics library. [68] The existence of special collections with catalogues gave scope for the development of interlibrary loans.
From 1913 applications were handled by the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust, [69] based in Carnegie's home town, Dunfermline. The trust continued to fund libraries after Carnegie's death in 1919, but its priorities shifted to other areas of its charitable work.
As at 2011 many of the UK's Carnegie libraries continue to be used for their original purpose. However, Carnegie libraries are being affected by local authority budget cuts which are reducing the number of public libraries across the country. [70]
Some Carnegie libraries are unprotected by the listing system. Over the years some Carnegie libraries have been demolished, e.g. Grays (details in the list below) On the other hand, new uses have been found for other Carnegie libraries, e.g. Pontefract's Carnegie library is now a museum.
Swinton Carnegie Library opened in 1906. Was sold off in the early 80s and is currently a short term rental building where guests can still enjoy the original features of the building.
In Scotland the Carnegie libraries were typically built of stone. [120] In the rest of the British Isles there was much more use of brick. The drawings of the Carnegie libraries designed by architect James Robert Rhind are in the Strathclyde Archives, Glasgow. [121]
Carnegie's libraries were not exclusively for English-speakers. The Bangor library was called Llyfrgell Rydd ("Free Library" in Welsh).
Dublin is a city and county seat of Laurens County, Georgia, United States. The population was 16,074 at the 2020 census.
Michael Scott was an Irish architect whose buildings included the Busáras building in Dublin, Cork Opera House, the Abbey Theatre and both Tullamore and Portlaoise Hospitals.
The architecture of Ireland is one of the most visible features in the Irish countryside – with remains from all eras since the Stone Age abounding. Ireland is famous for its ruined and intact Norman and Anglo-Irish castles, small whitewashed thatched cottages and Georgian urban buildings. What are unaccountably somewhat less famous are the still complete Palladian and Rococo country houses which can be favourably compared to anything similar in northern Europe, and the country's many Gothic and neo-Gothic cathedrals and buildings.
Bradshaw Gass & Hope is an English architectural practice founded in 1862 by Jonas James Bradshaw. It is Bolton's oldest architectural practice and has exhibited archive drawings in London and Manchester. The style "Bradshaw Gass & Hope" was adopted after Bradshaw's death to incorporate the names of the remaining partners, John Bradshaw Gass and Arthur John Hope. As of 2022, the firm continues to operate from offices in Bolton.
Edwardian architecture usually means a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular for public buildings in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to 1914 is commonly included in this style.
The Carnegie Art Museum is a public art museum owned by the City of Oxnard, California in the building originally occupied by the Oxnard Public Library. The Neo-Classical building, located adjacent to Oxnard's Plaza Park, opened in 1907 as the Oxnard Public Library and was converted into an art museum in 1986. In July 1971, it became the first building in Ventura County and the first Carnegie library in California to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Carnegie Library is in Egerton Street, Runcorn, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building and "possesses special architectural and historic interest within a national context". It was built in 1906 as an extension to Waterloo House and the existing library with a grant from Andrew Carnegie, and closed in 2012.
The Doris Foley Library for Historical Research is a reference and research library in Nevada City, in Nevada County, California. Built in 1907, the Romanesque Revival style building is currently a branch of the Nevada County Library SystemArchived 2010-08-24 at the Wayback Machine.
The Carnegie Library is in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England. The foundation stone of St. Anne's Library was laid in August 1904 and the building was officially opened on 10 January 1906. The land was given by the St. Anne's on the Sea Land and Building Company, and Andrew Carnegie paid for the building itself. This was the first library in the town. There is also a library at Lytham.
Albert Randolph Ross was an American architect, known primarily for designing libraries, especially those funded by Andrew Carnegie. His father, John W. Ross, was an architect based in Davenport, Iowa, and the architect of its city hall.
Clayton & Black were a firm of architects and surveyors from Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. In a career spanning the Victorian, Edwardian and interwar eras, they were responsible for designing and constructing an eclectic range of buildings in the growing town of Brighton and its neighbour Hove. Their work encompassed new residential, commercial, industrial and civic buildings, shopping arcades, churches, schools, cinemas and pubs, and alterations to hotels and other buildings. Later reconstituted as Clayton, Black & Daviel, the company designed some churches in the postwar period.
The Bemidji Carnegie Library is a former library building in Bemidji, Minnesota, United States. It was built as a Carnegie library in 1909 and housed the city's public library until 1961. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 for its local significance in the themes of architecture and education. It was nominated for being a well-preserved example of a Carnegie library and of public Neoclassical architecture.
Blessington Street Basin is a former drinking water reservoir in northern central Dublin which operated from 1810 until the 1970s, serving the north city. It became the central feature of a public park in 1891, and this park was renewed and reopened in 1994.
Ilkley Town Hall, on Station Road, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, is a Grade II listed municipal building designed by William Bakewell of Leeds. It forms the centre of a small complex of public buildings, which also includes Ilkley Library, and the King's Hall & Winter Garden theatre. The library, Town Hall and King's Hall opened in 1908 opposite Ilkley railway station; the Winter Garden was added to the west in 1914.
William Henry Byrne was an Irish architect who mainly designed churches. He studied under James Joseph McCarthy before going into business with John O’Neill in 1869. He worked on his own after O'Neill's death in 1883.
Hawkins Street is a street in central Dublin, Ireland. It runs south from Rosie Hackett Bridge, at its junction with Burgh Quay, for 160 metres (170 yd) to a crossroads with Townsend Street, where it continues as College Street.
City Hall is a municipal facility at Merchant's Quay, Limerick, Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Limerick City and County Council.
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