Andrew Carnegie Library
118 Fifth Avenue North
Edmonds, WA

The exterior of this 2nd Renaissance Revival building is red pressed brick, and concrete. It has changed but little in 62 years, except for the mellowing effect of exposure to al kinds of weather.

This building is two-stories high. The walls of the lower floor are all concrete, scored to resemble masonry blocks. The effect is in keeping with the style of the building. The wide stairway up to the second floor is concrete. The three handrails are 2" iron pipe, painted.

The second story only is of red pressed brick. Each corner of this stately, rectangular building is emphasized with staggered insets of buff-colored pressed brick. The tall, arched windows are capped with the same buff-colored brick, as is the wide-arched main entrance at the top of that wide stairway.

Above this main door is a fan-shaped window of beautiful Tiffany glass in perfect condition. The transom that was removed to make room for the "Park & Recreation Department" sign is of the same Tiffany glass and will be reinstalled. It, too, is in perfect condition.

On the Northwest corner of the building is a plaque set into the bricks. It reads:

"Erected A.D. 1910
Building Committee
William Keeler, Mayor
Thomas Hall
Harry V. Allen
Architect, H.B. Ward"

There is a large, raised skylight on the apex of the roof. Otherwise, the roofing material is copper sheeting, laid from skylight to eaves. The sheeting is about two-feet wide. Roof is in excellent condition.

The interior of the first or ground level is all concrete. The walls being the foundation of the upper floor, thereby setting the second floor high enough to accommodate the ever-present upward leading stairway.

The interior of the second floor is about as it always was except for temporary, moveable partitions. The floor is hardwood. No windows are broken.

The City of Edmonds has taken good care of this building. This was stipulated when it became a gift to the City. It is now to be the "Edmonds Historical Museum", still owned by the City.

Statement of significance:

In the United States, there were only 1689 library buildings funded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. These buildings are unique to the early 20th Century and to the conditions of that time in our Country. Many of these have been des-troyed or have been altered beyond recognition. Edmonds is fortunate to have one in almost perfect preservation.

Andrew Carnegie with his family immigrated from Scotland in 1848 arriving in America almost penniless. Before he was 14 years old he went to work in the cotton mills in Alleghanny, Pennsylvania. He quickly moved up the industrial ladder. By the time he retired, he had established trust and foundations worth many millions. His philanthropies emphasized education, child-welfare, fine arts, museums, international peace, hero commissions, medical research, scholarships, and many more.

It is significant that many public buildings in and near his birthplace, Dumferline, Scotland, are basically the same - architecturally - as our Carnegie Library buildings. A photograph of the Old Customs House on the quay at Greanock across the firth from Dumferline, looks like it could be one of our Carnegie Libraries, minus the long stairway that led "upward to the halls of learning". Although no positive declaration has been found that all Carnegie--funded library buildings should be of an identifiable style, it is likely that this is so. Andrew Carnegie was so care-ful in other areas of his "gift" buildings, such as the fact that the City had to agree to furnish the land, maintain the building and supply the books and materials by the assessment of taxes.

Andrew Carnegie was one of the truly great philanthropists of our time. The few remaining, intact library buildings that were his gifts to new and struggling communities and cities should certainly have the protection of a mature and affluent and grateful Nation.

This web page is hosted by Mamoun Sakkal AIA, architect