Carnegie Public Library (Boise, Idaho)

Carnegie Public Library (Boise, Idaho)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
The library in 2018
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Location	815 W. Washington St. Boise, Idaho
Coordinates	43°37′10″N 116°11′58″W
Built	1905
Built by	Michels & Weber
Architect	John E. Tourtellotte & Company
Architectural style	Neoclassical
Part of	Fort Street Historic District (ID82000199)
NRHP reference No.	74000725[1]
Added to NRHP	November 21, 1974

The Carnegie Public Library (Boise, Idaho) is a Neoclassical building designed by Tourtellotte & Co. and constructed in Boise, Idaho, in 1904–1905.[2] It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 1982 it was included as a contributing property in the Fort Street Historic District.[3]

History

The Boise Public Library began in 1895 when members of the Columbian Club opened a subscription library and reading room in Boise City Hall.[4] When Boise received a grant in 1904 to build a Carnegie library, local architects John E. Tourtellotte and Charles F. Hummel won the design contract, and the local firm of Michels & Weber received the construction contract. Materials included white brick fired in Boise and sandstone from nearby Table Rock.[5] Boise's Carnegie Library opened June 22, 1905,[4] and Mary F. Wood became its first librarian.[6]

In 1973 the Boise Public Library moved to a larger building, formerly occupied by Salt Lake Hardware, at 715 S. Capitol Blvd., and in 1974 the Carnegie Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[4]

The building was occupied by a law firm until 2018 when it was repurposed for artists as studio space.[7]

See also

• List of Carnegie libraries in Idaho
• Carnegie Public Library, located in Huntington, West Virginia

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Nancy F. Renk (January 18, 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Carnegie Library". National Park Service. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
3. Susanne Lichtenstein (September 29, 1982). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fort Street Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
4. "History". Boise Public Library. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
5. "Huntley Law Firm: Boise Carnegie Library". Society of Architectural Historians. July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
6. "Special Project 1501 W Jefferson - Sturiale Place". CCDC Boise. Capital City Development Corp. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
7. Oland, Dana (April 9, 2018). "This historic Downtown Boise building will get a new life this summer". Idaho Statesman.

External links

Media related to Carnegie Library (Boise, Idaho) at Wikimedia Commons

Further reading

• Boise, Frank E. Aden Jr., (Arcadia Publishing, 2015), pg. 86
• Boise, Frank Thomason, (Arcadia Publishing, 2009), pg. 102