PITTSBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY HISTORY

Pittsburg has enjoyed the use of a public library since 1902 when the first collection of books was housed in the west wing of the city office building. The library quickly grew in popularity, and by 1907 the Board of Trustees began looking at ways of securing funds for a new building.

Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie was already well known for his philanthropy towards libraries across the country, and the Pittsburg library community approached him for much needed support. His donation of $40,000 angered the miners of the area and in order to appease them, the Board agreed to leave the Carnegie name off of the front of the proposed building. The architectural firm of Patton and Miller of Chicago was hired to design the building with S.S. Geatches serving as contractor. Completed in 1912, the new library was one of the few Carnegie libraries in the country to be built in the Prairie Style architecture made famous by Frank Lloyd Wright, a move to avoid the more ornate styles that would have further inflamed the mining community. The exterior was constructed of Carthage limestone, and the building was considered one of the most beautiful facilities in the state of Kansas at the time of its opening and was later placed on the Kansas Register of Historic Places.

With the passing of a one-half cent sales tax in August of 1994, plans to build an addition and renovate the historic Carnegie building were put into place. The firm of Glenn Livingood Penzler (now known as GLPM Architects ) of Lawrence, KS, designed the project, and the contractor was R.E. Smith Construction of Joplin, MO. The groundbreaking ceremony was held June 12, 1996, and the completed project was dedicated June 12, 1998. The project more than doubled the amount of space and improved the functionality of the facility. Characteristics and details of the original building have been incorporated into the addition, and the furnishings reflect the Arts and Crafts style made popular during the early 1900's. Restoring the glory of the original building without disturbing its historical integrity earned the architectural firm of Glenn Livingood Penzler an award from the Kansas Preservation Alliance . Pittsburg Public Library can once again be considered one of the most beautiful libraries in the state.

- Carol Ann Robb, Reference & Adult Services Librarian