Wednesday, September 9, 2009

1908 Public Library, Muncie, Indiana

[LIB3685]

This vintage post card was sent to Miss Flora Turner, Williamsburg, Indiana.

In 1901, the city of Muncie received a $50,000 Carnegie grant. Architect Marshall S. Mahurin of Fort Wayne, who also designed the 1893 Fort Wayne City Hall, designed the classical revival building. The cornerstone was laid on 1 June 1902, and the official opening was 1 January 1904. Above the entrance is the legend "This building the gift of Andrew Carnegie. Built anno Domini 1902." On either side of this are reliefs of female figures, identified as Law, Science, Prose, Art, Poetry, and Music.

The Muncie Public Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 17 June 1976 as building #76000019. Ten years later, the library received the Althea Stoeckel Award for Historic Preservation for the renovation of the interior of the building. [A very big thank you to Waymarking.com, www.waymarking.com] More information about the Carnegie Library in Muncie Indiana, including contemporary photos, can be found here.

1 comment:

Loretta said...

Thanks for the article. please feature this in the bizymoms Muncie community page. the moms will love it