National Register of Historic Places

Portsmouth Community Library

Portsmouth, Portsmouth County, Virginia
Listed
August 11, 2010
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
10000544

About this property

Portsmouth Community Library, also known as the Portsmouth Colored Community Library, is a historic library building located at Portsmouth, Virginia. It was built in 1945 at 804 South Street. It is a one-story, three-bay, brick building with a hipped roof. It was built to provide for the reading needs of Portsmouth's African Americans. Bertha Edwards was the first librarian, and was a key to its success as she raised funds for the library. In 1959, two local dentists, Dr. James Holley and Dr. Hugo A. Owens, successfully sued the City of Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Public Library to integrate the public library, which resulted in the closure of the Portsmouth Community Library. The building has been relocated twice since it was closed in 1962 after integration of the public library system; first in 1967 to the parking lot of Ebenezer Baptist Church, 730 Effingham Street, then since August 2007, it has been located at the present location, 904 Elm Avenue. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. The library is now operated as a museum of local African-American history by the City of Portsmouth. Displays include photographs and memorabilia, as well as African-American books and journals from the former library. The African American Historical Society of Portsmouth led efforts to dedicate the historic library as a museum, which opened in 2013.

Location

904 Elm St
Portsmouth, Portsmouth County, Virginia
36.83234, -76.31392

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORYENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION
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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Nearby Historic Sites

Cedar Grove Cemetery
Listed
0.6 mi
Downtown Portsmouth Historic District
Colonial
0.6 mi
Monumental Methodist Church
Industrial
0.7 mi
St. Paul's Catholic Church
Industrial
0.7 mi
Commodore Theatre
Industrial
0.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Craney Island (Jun 22 1813)
1813Early Republic
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Portsmouth Community Library listed on the National Register?

Portsmouth Community Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 11, 2010.

What type of historic resource is Portsmouth Community Library?

Portsmouth Community Library is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Portsmouth Community Library?

The period of significance for Portsmouth Community Library is recorded as the industrial era.

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