Oskaloosa Public Library is a facility located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. Construction of the library was launched in 1902 with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Oskaloosa Public Library | |
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| Location | Southwestern corner of the junction of Market St. and 2nd Ave. Oskaloosa, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | 41°17′36″N 92°38′44″W / 41.29333°N 92.64556°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1903 |
| Built by | John Gier |
| Architect | Frank E. Wetherell |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| MPS | Oskaloosa MPS Public Library Buildings in Iowa TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 83004763[1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 13, 1991 |
History
editEstablishment
editThe community of Oskaloosa, county seat of the county seat of Mahaska County, Iowa, established a public library board shortly after the turn of the 20th Century and passed a local tax for operation of such a facility.[2] Application was made to philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and the Carnegie Corporation for funds for building construction. The application for a grant for $22,000 was accepted on March 14, 1902.[3] A centrally located site on South Market Street, measuring 120 feet square, was acquired for the facility in May.[4]
The building was designed by Des Moines architect Frank E. Wetherell, an Oskaloosa native. It was the first major public commission he received.[5] John Gier was the contractor.
The building is a two-story brick structure in the Neoclassical style built on a raised basement. The main entrance is surrounded by a classical portico. It was dedicated on September 7, 1903.[6] The library was established with a collection of 5,000 volumes and its operation funded by a tax of one-tenth cent per dollar on all property in the city.[7]
An additional grant of $2,000 was made by Carnegie in 1905, with proceeds used to finish the second story of the building.[8] As a condition of this additional grant, the Oskaloosa City Council pledged to support the facility with a sum of at least $2,200 per year, ten percent of the two Carnegie capital grants.[8] This pledge through city ordinance did not increase the cost to the town's taxpayers as more than $2,200 per year was already being spent on operation of the facility.[8]
Historical registry
editThe building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[1] A 1997 addition enlarged the facility.
Footnotes
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Franchise is Granted," Marshalltown Evening Times-Republican, vol. 28, no. 38 (March 26, 1902), p. 8.
- ^ "Carnegie Libraries of Iowa Project-Lake City Public Library". University of Iowa. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
- ^ "Iowa News Items: Oskaloosa," Marshalltown Evening Times-Republican, vol. 28, no. 62 (May 28, 1902), p. 5.
- ^ Molly Myers Naumann. "Oskaloosa Public Library". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
- ^ "Brief Iowa News," Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, vol. 21, no. 208 (Sept. 4, 1903), p. 7.
- ^ "Oskaloosa's New Library," Marshalltown Evening Times-Republican, vol. 29, no. 211 (Sept. 8, 1903), p. 2.
- ^ a b c "To Finish Fine Library," Marshalltown Evening Times-Republican, vol. 31, no. 212 (Oct. 4, 1905), p. 8.