National Register of Historic Places

Colorado Springs Public Library-Carnegie Building

Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado
Listed
November 1, 1996
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
96001238

About this property

The Colorado Springs Public Library–Carnegie Building is a Neo-classical library building in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Funded by the Andrew Carnegie Library Fund. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is associated with the City Beautiful movement. Andrew Carnegie donated $60,000 for the construction of the library. One side of the library is semi-circular with a continuous ornamental balcony and a view of Pikes Peak and the Rocky Mountains. The building is made of granite, gray Tennessee marble, Breche Violette marble, sandstone and Roman-shaped gray hydraulic press brick. Inside the library the building had reading rooms, space for 17,000 volumes, an auditorium, and a reference room. Calvin Kiessling, the architect for the building, said "the building lends itself to all the requirements of modern library purposes and affords its patrons the unrestricted enjoyment of the beauties of the distant mountains and immediate surrounding." The Penrose Library was built in 1967 as an addition to the library. The Carnegie Library has a "cherished" collection on the city's history. The Carnegie building holds genealogy and regional history collections, which include books, archives, manuscripts, photographs, periodical and maps. Besides print materials, the library has access to genealogical databases and is a FamilySearch affiliate library. A demonstration garden was opened in 2007 alongside the library. It was created by a master gardener, library staff, and volunteers, to provide a retreat within the city and a place to learn about plants selected for the local climate. The garden area has sculptures made by local artists, benches, stone walls, and a stage.

Location

21 W. Kiowa St.
Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado
38.83559, -104.82621

Categories

ARCHITECTURECOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTSOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Civil War
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Nearby Historic Sites

St. Mary's Catholic Church
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0.1 mi
DeGraff Building
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0.1 mi
Rio Grande Engine No. 168
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0.1 mi
Y.W.C.A.
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0.2 mi
Boulder Crescent Place Historic District
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0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Colorado Springs Public Library-Carnegie Building listed on the National Register?

Colorado Springs Public Library-Carnegie Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 1, 1996.

What type of historic resource is Colorado Springs Public Library-Carnegie Building?

Colorado Springs Public Library-Carnegie Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Colorado Springs Public Library-Carnegie Building?

The period of significance for Colorado Springs Public Library-Carnegie Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Colorado Springs Public Library-Carnegie Building?

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