Carnegie Library of Washington D.C.

This article is about the building in Mount Vernon Square. For other Carnegie libraries, see List of Carnegie libraries in Washington, D.C.
Central Public Library

Carnegie Library building, located at Mount Vernon Square, houses the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
Location Mount Vernon Sq., 8th and K Streets, NW.
Washington, D.C.
Coordinates 38°54′9.36″N 77°1′22.44″W / 38.9026000°N 77.0229000°W / 38.9026000; -77.0229000Coordinates: 38°54′9.36″N 77°1′22.44″W / 38.9026000°N 77.0229000°W / 38.9026000; -77.0229000
Area 2.74 acres (1.11 ha)
Built 1901-03
Architect Ackerman & Ross
Architectural style Beaux-Arts architecture
NRHP Reference # 69000290[1]
Added to NRHP December 3, 1969

The Carnegie Library of Washington D.C., also known as Central Public Library, is situated in Mount Vernon Square, Washington, D.C.. Donated to the public by entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie, it was dedicated on January 7, 1903. It was designed by the New York firm of Ackerman & Ross in the style of Beaux-Arts architecture.

It was the first Carnegie library in Washington, D.C., and the first public library. It was also D.C.'s first desegregated public building.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as "Central Public Library", in 1969.[1][2]

It was used as the central public library for Washington, D.C. for almost 70 years before it became overcrowded. The central library was then moved to Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. After being shut down for ten years it was renovated as part of University of the District of Columbia. Currently it is used by the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. and Events DC.[3]

In 2014, Events DC twice sought to move the International Spy Museum into the library, but failed to win historic preservation approval. [4]

In September 2016, Apple Inc. proposed renovating the library into D.C.'s second Apple Store location.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ Nancy C. Taylor (April 30, 1969). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Central Public Library, District of Columbia / Carnegie Library" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved November 13, 2016. with two photos from 1969
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
  4. ↑ O'Connell, Jonathan (October 7, 2014). "Deal to move Spy Museum to Carnegie Building falls apart". The Washington Post. Washington, DC. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  5. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp/2016/09/21/apple-targets-historic-carnegie-library-for-downtown-flagship-store/
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