Waterloo Public Library-East Side Branch | |
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| Location | 626 Mulberry St. Waterloo, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | 42°29′57″N92°20′0.3″W / 42.49917°N 92.333417°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1905 |
| Architect | John G. Ralston |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| MPS | Waterloo MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 88001323 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 29, 1988 |
The Waterloo Public Library-East Side Branch is a historic building located in Waterloo, Iowa, United States. The public library was established here in 1896. [2] It operated out of two rented rooms, one on the east side of the Cedar River and other on the west side. The Carnegie Foundation offered a grant of $30,000 to build a new library, but disagreements erupted over whether to place the building on the east side or west side of the river. [3] They then agreed to grant $40,000 for a mid-river building, or the same amount for two buildings. In the end they agreed to grant the community $24,000 to build this building and a similar amount for the west side branch. [4] Waterloo architect John G. Ralston designed both buildings in the Neoclassical style. Both were dedicated on February 23, 1906. The single-story Bedford stone structure was built over a raised basement. It is one of the few stone buildings in Waterloo. [3] The building has a central portico with paired Ionic columns. It is part of a larger central mass that is oriented from front to back and sits across the lower hipped roof.
In 1977 voters in Waterloo approved a $3,650,000 bond referendum to renovate the city's 1938 post office and federal building to house the library. [2] The post office vacated the building in 1979 when it relocated. The old library building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. [1] The building is now used by the city of Waterloo.
