List of Carnegie libraries in Ohio

The following list of Carnegie libraries in Ohio provides detailed information on United States Carnegie libraries in Ohio, where 104 public libraries were built from 79[1] grants (totaling $2,846,484) awarded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York from 1899 to 1915. In addition, academic libraries were built at 7 institutions (totaling $368,445).

Key

  Building still operating as a library
  Building standing, but now serving another purpose
  Building no longer standing
  Building listed on the National Register of Historic Places
  Building contributes to a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places

Public libraries

Library City or
town 		Image Date
granted[2] 		Grant
amount[2][3] 		Location Notes
1 Akron Akron Dec 24, 1901 $82,000 69 E. Market St. Open 1904–1942, now law offices
2 Alliance Alliance Jan 13, 1903 $25,000 NE corner of S. Arch Ave. & High St. Demolished 1974
3 Amherst Amherst Mar 8, 1904 $10,000 221 Spring St.
4 Ashtabula Ashtabula Mar 6, 1901 $15,000 335 W. 44th St.
5 Athens Athens Dec 16, 1903 $30,000 32 Park Place Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. Originally a public library on the Ohio University campus. Open 1905–1930, now Scripps Hall, used for classroom space
6 Bellefontaine Bellefontaine Jan 6, 1903 $14,000 140 N. Main St. Closed 1994, Became county offices. 2020 - Purchased by Richwood Bank.
7 Bellevue Bellevue Jan 13, 1903 $13,600 224 E. Main St.
8 Bristolville Bristolville Apr 25, 1911 $6,000 1855 Greenville Rd.
9 Bryan Bryan Feb 12, 1903 $10,000 107 E. High St.
10 Bucyrus Bucyrus Jun 1, 1903 $15,000 200 E. Mansfield St.
11 Cambridge Cambridge Jan 22, 1902 $21,000 800 Steubenville Ave. Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard.
12 Canton Canton Apr 15, 1901 $60,000 236 3rd St. SW Open 1903–1978, now law offices
13 Carey Carey Dec 30, 1904 $8,000 236 E. Findlay St.
14 Celina Celina Dec 30, 1904 $12,000 303 N. Main St. Building replaced by the Dwyer Mercer County District Library in 1970. After further expansion, name changed to Mercer County District Library in 1994.
15 Chillicothe Chillicothe Apr 13, 1903 $30,000 140 S. Paint St. Opened 1907, now the Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library (Main library)
16 Cincinnati Avondale Cincinnati Apr 9, 1902 $286,000 3566 Reading Rd. Opened 1913
17 Cincinnati Cumminsville Cincinnati Apr 9, 1902 — 4219 Hamilton Ave. Opened 1908, now Northside Branch
18 Cincinnati East End Cincinnati Apr 9, 1902 — 3738 Eastern Ave. Open 1907–1959. Now The Carnegie Center
19 Cincinnati Hyde Park Cincinnati Apr 9, 1902 — 2747 Erie Ave. Built 1912
20 Cincinnati North Cincinnati Cincinnati Apr 9, 1902 — 2802 Vine St. Opened 1907, now Corryville Branch
21 Cincinnati Norwood Norwood Nov 3, 1904 $23,000 4325 Montgomery Rd. Opened 1907
22 Cincinnati Price Hill Cincinnati Apr 9, 1902 — 3215 Warsaw Ave. Opened 1909
23 Cincinnati Walnut Hills Cincinnati Apr 9, 1902 — 2533 Kemper Ln. Opened 1906
24 Cincinnati West End Cincinnati Apr 9, 1902 — 924 Dayton St. Opened 1908, demolished 1947
25 Cleveland Broadway Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 $590,000 5437 Broadway Ave. Open 1906–1987, later became a church, purchased in 2022 and reopened in 2023 as the Darl Center for Performing Arts
26 Cleveland Brooklyn Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 3706 Pearl Rd. Opened 1919
27 Cleveland Carnegie West Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 1900 Fulton Rd. Opened 1910
28 Cleveland East 79th Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 1215 E. 79th St. Open 1916–1989, now a drug abuse treatment program
29 Cleveland Hough Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 1765 Crawford Rd. Open 1907–1984, later African American Museum, closed since 2005. On Preservation Ohio's 2020 most endangered historic sites list.
30 Cleveland Jefferson Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 850 Jefferson Ave. Opened 1918
31 Cleveland Lorain Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 8216 Lorain Ave. Opened 1912
32 Cleveland Miles Park Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 9250 Miles Park Ave.
33 Cleveland Quincy Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 2390 E. 79th St. Open 1914–1977
34 Cleveland Saint Clair Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 1368 E. 55th St. Open 1905–1946, now Goodrich-Gannett Neighborhood Center
35 Cleveland South Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 3096 Scranton Rd. Closed since March 2013 but reopened on December 1, 2018.
36 Cleveland Sterling Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 2200 E. 30th St. Opened 1913
37 Cleveland Superior Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 1351 E. 105th St. Closed 1990
38 Cleveland Woodland Cleveland Apr 4, 1903 — 5806 Woodland Ave. Opened 1904, burned 1957
39 Clyde Clyde Dec 2, 1904 $12,500 222 W. Buckeye St.
40 Columbus Columbus Dec 30, 1901 $200,000 96 S. Grant Ave.
41 Conneaut Conneaut Dec 2, 1904 $25,000 282 State St. Open 1909–1998, vacant
42 Coshocton Coshocton Dec 27, 1902 $17,000 4th and Chestnut Sts. Open 1904–1974, vacant
43 Dayton East 5th Dayton Jan 6, 1911 $50,000 2160 E. 5th St. formerly housed the Dayton Southeast Priority Board (1999-2012), during which time (2008) it received an Ohio Historic Preservation Merit Award; currently being used as the administrative office for the St. Mary Development Organization
44 Dayton West 5th Dayton Jan 6, 1911 — 1612 W. 5th St. Burned in 1979
45 Defiance Defiance Nov 25, 1903 $22,000 320 Fort St.
46 Delaware Delaware Dec 27, 1902 $21,500 101 N. Sandusky St. Now County offices.
47 Delphos Delphos May 2, 1911 $12,500 309 W. 2nd St. Opened 1912
48 East Cleveland East Cleveland Dec 20, 1904 $35,000 14101 Euclid Ave.
49 East Liverpool East Liverpool Jun 30, 1899 $50,000 219 E. 4th St. First (along with Steubenville) Carnegie Library in Ohio
50 Fostoria Fostoria Mar 20, 1903 $20,000 205 Perry St. Opened 1914, extensively altered
51 Galion Galion Apr 11, 1902 $15,000 123 N. Market St.
52 Gallipolis Gallipolis Dec 27, 1902 $12,500 61 State St. Now a school district office
53 Geneva Geneva Dec 14, 1908 $10,000 117 W. Main St. Open 1910–1997, now a courthouse
54 Germantown Germantown Dec 20, 1904 $10,000 47 W. Center St. Closed 1984, now historical society
55 Greenville Greenville Mar 7, 1901 $25,000 520 Sycamore St.
56 Kent Kent Aug 16, 1901 $11,500 312 W. Main St.
57 Kenton Kenton Jan 22, 1902 $20,000 121 N. Detroit St. Now a dentist office
58 Kinsman Kinsman Mar 29, 1911 $7,000 6420 Church St.
59 Lakewood Lakewood May 2, 1907 $44,600 15425 Detroit Ave.
60 Lebanon Lebanon Feb 20, 1903 $10,000 101 S. Broadway Opened 1908
61 Lima Lima Jun 21, 1901 $34,000 corner of McDonel and Market St.
62 London London Mar 14, 1902 $10,000 20 E. 1st St.
63 Lorain Lorain Jul 8, 1902 $30,000 329 W. 10th St. Open 1904–1957. Now home to the Lorain Historical Society which invested $2 million into renovations and reopened both floors in November 2015.
64 Madison Madison Jun 1, 1915 $10,000 126 W. Main St. Open 1919–1974, future home of the Madison Historical Society
65 Mansfield Mansfield Mar 27, 1903 $37,000 43 W. 3rd St.
66 Marietta Marietta Jan 2, 1913 $30,000 615 5th St. Only library in the United States built atop an Indian mound.
67 Marion Marion Dec 27, 1902 $30,000 244 S. Main St. Open 1907–1980, now a church
68 Marysville Marysville Nov 27, 1906 $10,000 231 S. Court St. Demolished.
69 Maumee Maumee Sep 29, 1915 $10,000 501 River Rd.
70 Miamisburg Miamisburg Dec 24, 1908 $12,500 426 Central Ave. Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. Open 1910–1981, now a civic center.
71 Middleport Middleport Jan 31, 1911 $8,100 178 S. 3rd St. Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1986.
72 Middletown Middletown Apr 26, 1902 $25,000 1320 1st Ave. Open 1913–1983, vacant
73 Milan Milan Jan 6, 1911 $8,000 19 E. Church St.
74 Mount Sterling Mount Sterling Jan 23, 1911 $10,000 60 W. Columbus St.
75 Napoleon Napoleon Mar 29, 1911 $10,000 845 Woodlawn Ave. Open 1913–1965, now library storage
76 New London New London Jun 11, 1914 $10,000 67 S. Main St. Opened 1916
77 Norwalk Norwalk Feb 2, 1903 $15,000 46 W. Main St. Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. Opened 1905.
78 Paulding Paulding Jul 13, 1912 $40,000 205 S. Main St. The first Carnegie library to serve an entire county
79 Pickerington Pickerington Jan 27, 1912 $10,000 15 W. Columbus St. Now houses township historical society
80 Pomeroy Pomeroy Jan 27, 1912 $10,000 200 E. 2nd St. Designed by Columbus architects Richard Z. Dawson Jr. and Harry Clyde Holbrook. Open 1914–1989. Now law offices.
81 Portsmouth Portsmouth Jul 8, 1901 $50,000 1220 Gallia St. Opened 1906
82 Ripley Ripley Jan 2, 1913 $10,000 27 Main St. Opened 1915
83 Rockford Rockford Jan 18, 1910 $10,000 162 S. Main St.
84 Salem Salem Jan 22, 1903 $20,000 821 E. State St. Opened 1905
85 Sandusky Sandusky Aug 7, 1899 $50,000 114 W. Adams St. Opened 1901. On property adjacent to the Library is the former Erie County Jail, built in 1883. In 1996, the Library purchased the Jail from Erie County and embarked upon a $10 million expansion project to renovate and connect the two National Register of Historic Places buildings with new space. The Grand Opening and Rededication of the new Library was held on January 11, 2004.
86 South Brooklyn South Brooklyn Mar 27, 1903 $11,800 Pearl Rd. and Devonshire Rd. Open 1905–1936
87 Steubenville Steubenville Jun 30, 1899 $62,000 407 S. 4th St. First (along with East Liverpool) Carnegie Library approved in Ohio. Opened March 12, 1902. Renovated & Enlarged 2018.
88 Tiffin Tiffin Feb 15, 1912 $25,000 108 Jefferson St. Open 1913–1976, now court offices
89 Toledo Jermain Toledo Dec 16, 1905 $125,000 315 Galena St. Open 1918–1974, now a church
90 Toledo Kent Toledo Dec 16, 1905 — 3026 Collingwood Blvd.
91 Toledo Locke Toledo Dec 16, 1905 — 806 Main St. Open 1917–2007, vacant
92 Toledo Mott Toledo Dec 16, 1905 — 1055 Dorr St.
93 Toledo South Toledo Dec 16, 1905 — 1638 Broadway Open 1918–2004, health care clinic
94 Upper Sandusky Upper Sandusky Carnegie Library in Upper Sandusky, OH Jan 23, 1911 $10,000 224 W. Johnson St. Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. Open 1914–1986, now a doctor's office.
95 Warren Warren Apr 23, 1903 $28,384 120 High St., NW
96 Washington Court House Washington Court House Dec 30, 1901 $15,500 127 S. North St. Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard. Opened 1904.
97 Wauseon Wauseon Nov 25, 1903 $8,000 117 E. Elm St. Opened 1906
98 Wellsville Wellsville Feb 15, 1912 $10,000 115 9th St.
99 Willoughby Willoughby Dec 13, 1906 $14,500 30 Public Sq. Opened 1909
100 Wilmington Wilmington Feb 4, 1902 $12,500 268 N. South St. Opened 1904
101 Wooster Wooster Feb 2, 1903 $15,000 304 N. Market St. Demolished 1967
102 Xenia Xenia Jan 10, 1902 $23,500 194 E. Church St. Opened 1908, vacant since the 1974 Xenia tornado. Purchased in 2021 for use as the "Xenia Carnegie Cultural Centre with O’Neil’s Restaurant and Event Venue."[4][5]
103 Youngstown Youngstown Feb 19, 1908 $50,000 305 Wick Ave. Called the Reuben McMillan Free Library
104 Zanesville Zanesville Dec 16, 1905 $54,000 220 N. 5th St.

Academic libraries

Institution Locality Image Year
granted[6] 		Grant
amount[6] 		Location Notes
1 Cedarville College Cedarville Dec 28, 1905 $11,795 160 N. Main St. Open 1908–1960, now art studios
2 Heidelberg University Tiffin Mar 15, 1905 $25,000 28 Greenfield St.
41°6′55″N 83°10′5″W / 41.11528°N 83.16806°W / 41.11528; -83.16806 (Pfleiderer Hall) 		Open 1912–1967, now Pfleiderer Hall, houses humanities
3 Marietta College Marietta Jan 7, 1905 $40,000 215 Fifth St. Open 1906–1961, now Irvine Administration Building
4 Miami University Oxford Mar 31, 1905
May 2, 1921 		$40,000
$50,000 		101 Alumni Hall Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard and built by Henry Karg of Westerville. Called Alumni Hall, it was the school's original library until 1973. Now houses the Department of Architecture and Interior Design.
5 Oberlin College Oberlin Jan 20, 1905 $150,000 52 W. Lorain St. Open 1908–1974, now used for Oberlin College Library storage and offices
6 Otterbein University Westerville Apr 3, 1905 $20,000 102 W. College Ave. Designed by Columbus architect Frank L. Packard and built by Henry Karg of Westerville. Opened 1908. Renamed Clippinger Hall after Walter Gillan Clippinger, longest serving Otterbein president (1909-1939). Now houses Office of Admission. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 2021. Carnegie Libraries of Ohio written by Mary Ellen Armentrout, Otterbein Class of 1966.
7 Wilberforce University Wilberforce Feb 15, 1904 $17,950 1400 Brush Row Rd. Open 1909–1976, now part of National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center

Notes

  1. ^ Both Bobinski and Jones make errors with their numbers in Ohio—Bobinski reports only 77 grants, while Jones counts South Brooklyn twice and thus reports 106 libraries.
  2. ^ a b At various times, Bobinski and Jones disagree on these numbers. In these cases, Jones' numbers have been used due to both a more recent publication date and a more detailed gazetteer of branch libraries, which are often where the discrepancies occur.
  3. ^ Grants for multiple libraries (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, and Toledo) are listed only by their total amount, not broken down for each branch.
  4. ^ Xenia business owners, developers to renovate Carnegie Library for restaurant, event space
  5. ^ Xenia Carnegie Cultural Centre
  6. ^ a b Miller, pp. 38–40
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References

  • Anderson, Florence (1963). Carnegie Corporation Library Program 1911–1961. New York: Carnegie Corporation. OCLC 1282382.
  • Armentrout, Mary Ellen (2003). Carnegie Libraries of Ohio. Wellington, Ohio: Mary Ellen Armentrout. ISBN 0615122531. OCLC 51391494.
  • Bobinski, George S. (1969). Carnegie Libraries: Their History and Impact on American Public Library Development. Chicago: American Library Association. ISBN 0-8389-0022-4.
  • Jones, Theodore (1997). Carnegie Libraries Across America. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-14422-3.
  • Miller, Durand R. (1943). Carnegie Grants for Library Buildings, 1890-1917. New York: Carnegie Corporation of New York. OCLC 2603611.

Note: The above references, while all authoritative, are not entirely mutually consistent. Some details of this list may have been drawn from one of the references without support from the others. Reader discretion is advised.