Illinois communities tended to know a good thing when they
saw it: hence, many accepted Carnegie funding. The 105 state
Carnegie library count does not include college libraries.
As I approach finding cards of all the cities, I have had to divide this page alphabetically.
Libraries in towns beginning with
L - Z have their own page.
Built in 1904 from a 1901 grant, according to the Bials, on an island. (I don't know Aurora well enough to confirm.) Remodeled from 1942 - 1958. Remodeled again in 1969, receiving its 3-story wings.
The card on the right is slightly older than that on the left. It was sent in an unusual manner: the embossed postage from an envelope was cut out and pasted to mail it (1906). The left hand card is an attractive dead-on view.
(L) Who knows what season it is in the Hemisphere of the newer
card? The pink tree looks like a flowering crab. The trees to the right are changing for the autumn. The card was published by Paul P. Vogel Co., of Chicago. There seems to be some reason why I had never heard of them prior to adding this card to my collection.
(R) The righthand card is a classic linen-finish card.
Belvidere is one of only 4 Illinois libraries to earn a section in Heart of the Community: Libraries We Love.
Built in 1913, remodeled in 1985, and still in use, Ida Public Library looks much the same as on the postcard. You can spot it from the original U.S. 20 (Grant Highway; Blue Star Highway) route, North State Street, in Belvidere.
Although the same architects (Grant Miller, of Patton and Miller) built Ida Public and the Freeport Carnegie Libraries, they are strikingly different. In reality, Ida Public looks strongly Prairie-style.
1903 - 1970
This isn't one of the finest
examples of a Carnegie Library. Both images indicate stone construction,
perhaps extracted from local limestone quarries.
The RPPC seems
to have been photographed later than the left hand card, but a lot of
linen cards and similar have had a lot of license taken with
the image. The Real Photo card has attribution: Genuine Photograph
C.R. Childs, Photograph post Cards, Chicago.
The current library stands on this site.
Curt Teich postcard mailed sometime after 1938.
Carnegie money received in 1914. Despite the late date of construction, this is one of the more Prairie-influenced
Carnegie libraries.
Library was to move into a new facility
in the 1980s, according to the Bials, but the Carnegie building was still in use in 1991.
More Carmi postcards, including what looks to be a Blue Sky card of the library.
Opened in 1903. This is one of those buildings that could be a post office, a library, or what have you.
The photo on its website shows that the exterior has not changed one whit.
Dedicated 1903; nearly destroyed in a 1936 fire;
additions built, 1970 - 1972.
(L) Earliest card: unevenly divided back from
Acmegraph.
(R) 1937 postmark on an older card. Centralia
is far enough south that this building took on a
antebellum appearance.
Note the different shades of brown used for the bricks among the cards.
Centralia's Carnegie Library started off looking normal in this early card. Notice the size of the trees.
Then came the atomic age. The eerie pink glow over the roof may have presaged the A-bomb scare of the late '50s. The right hand card, published by the Southern Illinois News Company of Christopher, Illinois, has a older feel to it than the 1954 postmark indicates.
1901 grant, in use with additions.
It still seems a trifle small for a university (EIU) town.
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| View showing Post Office, Public Library and C. & E. I. Depot, Chicago Heights, Ill. |
Carnegie building opened September 11, 1903, at 1627 Halstead Street. Superceded 1972. Demolished 1974.
History from library's web site, except for one teensy fact: the demolition.
Built 1904. Typical building, except for its tile roof. Raphael Tuck and Sons
attempted to make the roof more exciting yet.
Insufficient by 1911:
failed to obtain more funding from the Foundation.
Currently used as the
Vermilion County War museum. The building has been entered on the Illinois Register of Historic Places. Building replaced and was closed on 9/30/95, according to the history contained in the library's webpage.
Built 1903: in use for 70 years according to the Decatur Genealogical Society's website. Bial and Bial state that it was demolished
in 1970 due to renovation cost projections. Then the library moved into a 'thoroughly remodeled
former Sears, Roebuck store.' In 1999, the library moved to its
current building, which certainly beats a Sears store.
Such is life.
Card mailed 1910. Strong resemblance to Aurora's Carnegie Library.
Beware DPL's website: not only is it headache inducing, there are no pictures of the Carnegie building.
This is the first
Des Plaines library, built 1907.
It was torn down in the late 1930s in favor of a new city hall,
which held the library collection in one wing. Visit my
non-Carnegie Library page for Illinois to see its replacement.
Again, the Carnegie building is better--and perhaps, a touch larger.
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| New Public Library, Downers Grove, Ill. | 1924 postmark. | 1932 postmark. Card embossed 'Delmar Photos Elmhurst, Ill.' | Curt Teich postcard. 'Public Library, Downers Grove, Illinois. A beautiful public building serving a modern progressive community' |
This DuPage County library building was completed in 1915, cruelly remodeled in the late 1950s, torn down in 1975, and replaced in 1977. This building, in turn, was extensively modified in 1999. The library has an excellent website with, gasp! history.
The web site
is a little different. However, it's quite easy to navigate.
Its history page is bereft of pictures, but is quite well written by
authors Amy Anson, Kevin Becker, and Amanda Endicott.
To summarize,
the 1903 Carnegie building first needed renovation in the 1950s. During this
period, a 1956 fire essentially gutted the building. It reopened in 1957.
1964 saw an addition, as did 1989.
The early C.T. American Art card was mailed in 1924.
I adore this little fairy castle of a Carnegie Library.
Card produced by C.U. Williams, Photoette, Bloomington, Ill. and
mailed in 1910. See it (2002 picture) on the library's
website.
Incidentally, El Paso was the last Illinois community to adopt
direct dial telephones.
1907 - 1975
According to Evanston Public Library Lore on its web site, a $50,000 Carnegie grant built this building.
What they don't tell you is that it took many years of wrangling to get it done. In 1903, they got one grant. A 1906 grant request was turned down. The building was opened in 1907. The grant was renewed in 1914, and more construction took place in 1915. (Here, the Bials are unclear. I bet there are some missing EPL records.) After all that hassle, they moved in 1960.
1903 - 1990
This is the only Carnegie library building I know of which was
condemned.
Flora
Public Library titles this page, 'A Brief History of the Flora
Public Library.' It's one of the longest history articles I
have found online. Pure HTML pages are NOT
taboo.
Read the rules section. I like 7 - 10 the best.
1901 Carnegie grant. Replaced in 2004. Still in limbo. The library's featured photo of the new building looks like Ed Ruscha had a hand in it.
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John Cook, Freeport historian, lists libraries built by Patton and Miller, including Carnegie Libraries in Belvidere (Ida Public), Polo (Buffalo Twp.), Freeport, and Warren. The Freeport Library was the oldest Carnegie library still in use in Illinois. |  |
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The German card (R) appears to have been made by the same printer who published the Decatur card and several others on these pages. |  |
| 'We are very proud of our library' It's not that I'm as proud of your library: there seem to be a huge number of different cards of it about. |
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Federal-style adaptation of the Carnegie plan.
Library's site
contains an excellently written history of its existence. I would gladly pay 10 cents for a
catalogue of holdings!
Supposedly, the Peabody, Kansas Carnegie Library shared the same plans with this building, but it isn't an obvious relationship. Maybe fraternal, not identical twins?
Tremendous interior scene by Curt Teich (C.T. Photochrom) for E.W. Kempter of
Galena. Notice that it had gas
lighting.*
I claim the square table next to the window.
Apparently the books were shelved according to color.
*Despite the fact that so many of these buildings did not have electricity early on, I don't know of any fires or explosions caused by gas.
Italianate building with some odd little portholes on the roofline.
The website
calls it Romanesque. I don't. You may. Moot point. It burnt.
Built 1901-2, the Galesburg Carnegie Library was lost to fire on May 9, 1958.
Card dated Oct. 1908, but never mailed.
The city post office (the red brick building) is a bonus on this S.H.
Knox postcard.
On the National Registry of Historic Places.
Similar to Fairbury's Dominy Library, and to Sycamore's and to Paxton's libraries.
A 1905 Carnegie grant made this building possible,
and it appears from city
and library
websites that it hasn't been altered one bit. It contains the Bond Co. Historical
Society and a noteable genealogical collection.
Obviously, microfilm is their friend.
1906 - 1971
Very interesting Carnegie building with traces of Romanesque architecture. And, it has ornaments. Big, honking, ornaments. Fall-off-the-roof-and-concuss-you ornaments. Architect Paul O. Moratz, of Bloomington, did not seem prone to such excess on his other buildings (Sycamore, Greenville, and Paxton).
Honestly, it surprised me
that Harvey was able to build a newer library. It's not a city with
wealthy residents, but maybe the '70s were kinder to the community. It's nice to see Harvey had its priorities straight.
The newer of these cards was sent in 1944: the lefthand card was never mailed.
Highland Park is one of the posher North Shore Chicago
suburbs, showing that it wasn't always the neediest communities
that got the Carnegie grants.
Handsome Carnegie building, begun in 1905,
and replaced in 1931--one of the quickest cases of
obsolescence.
Visit the public library's website for more details.
I think that this Montgomery County library is still in use, judging from the picture on its single screen web site. It looks as if only the portico was enlarged.
The postcard was one of the most difficult to find among my Illinois cards. The scan makes it look like a real photo postcard, but it's not.
Both cards date from 1909.
The lefthand card primarily features Honeywell Park. On the righthand
card you can nearly read the notice on the front door.
Leaning against the rightmost pillar is a notice for Episcopal Church
services. Hmm.
Today Hoopeston, home of the Cornjerkers, is fighting to stay alive as its cannery-related economy has been superceded.
Hand-colored card with delicate, believable tints. This is another case where it seems as if the photo was taken before the library was ready for patrons. The right wing looks empty.
Card was mailed in 1907, a very early divided-back card.
On the left is a handcolored card mailed in 1911. The right-hand card is one of the earliest linen finish (Curt Teich) cards in my collection,
I would bet.
This building still in use as the Main Branch. Except for casino money, Joliet is chronically short of cash as its industrial base has dwindled.
Daniel Burnham designed this semi-Gothic, semi-Romanesque library in 1903.
Built in 1906 - 1908 by Patton & Miller. This is remarkable, considering this was a 1901
Carnegie grant. The building was renovated in 2000 and is still in use.
The library's updated
website
has a nice history page, with a pretty picture of
the library's stained glass window.
At this point, the only way to see the non-linked libraries is to visit the pertinent IHPA site.
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All text is under copyright by the author. Cards are presented for scholarly study: most are significantly older than 1928. You may link, and even deep-link to its pages, but you may not claim any part as your own nor link to individual images.
©2003-2008 Judy Aulik
Carnegie libraries divided on 30 January 2007.
Updated 01 March 2008.