Perry Carnegie Library Building

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Perry Carnegie Library Building
Perry Carnegie Library Entrance.jpg
Entrance to the library
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Location1123 Willis Ave.
Perry, Iowa
Coordinates 41°50′18″N94°6′18″W / 41.83833°N 94.10500°W / 41.83833; -94.10500
Arealess than one acre
Built1908
Built byCourtney and Bolt
Architect Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen
Architectural style Classical Revival
Part of Downtown Perry Historic District (ID00001005)
MPS Public Library Buildings in Iowa TR
NRHP reference No. 96001061 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 3, 1996

The Perry Carnegie Library Building, also known as the Carnegie Library Museum, is a historic structure located in Perry, Iowa, United States. The Perry Library Association was established in 1894, and William Tarr served as its first librarian. [2] Andrew Carnegie accepted Perry's application for a grant for $10,600 on January 13, 1903. [3] The Des Moines architectural firm of Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen designed the Neoclassical building that was built by local contractor Courtney and Bolt. It opened in September 1904 was dedicated on December 10.

The L-shaped building is designed to fit into its triangular lot. The inside of the "L" is filled in and features a rounded outer wall. The building served as a public library for close to 90 years when a new library was built across the street. It was then renovated for use as a library museum. Its collection includes many of the 1,000 original titles from the library, a special collection of Midwest literature, women's fiction, children's books, and books on literacy and libraries. [4] The Carnegie Library Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. [1] It was included as a contributing building in the Downtown Perry Historic District in 2000. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Michael W. Farley. "Perry Carnegie Library Building". National Park Service . Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  3. "Carnegie Libraries of Iowa Project-Perry Public Library". University of Iowa. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  4. "Carnegie Library". City of Perry, Iowa. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  5. William C. Page. "Downtown Perry Historic District". National Park Service . Retrieved 2016-04-03.
View of the library from the southwest Perry Carnegie Library SW View.jpg
View of the library from the southwest