Carnegie's New Chapter
The 1910 Carnegie Library Building in Snohomish is getting a new lease
on life. In early 2005 the Snohomish City Council approved recommendations
by the Carnegie Preservation Committee to restore this historic building
as a community resource. The Snohomish Carnegie
Foundation was formed in June 2005 to accomplish this mission.
Restoration is expected to take about 5 years. Planning, fund raising, design and construction will be handled by the Snohomish Carnegie Foundation with guidance from the City of Snohomish. The sketch above represents one view of what it might look like.
As the project progresses, we will need help. We'd love to have you join us in giving the Carnegie a new lease on life !
Email if you would like to help out: info@snohomishcarnegie.org
The Snohomish Carnegie Library is one of Washington State's remaining thirty historic Carnegie libraries. The library served the City of Snohomish for over 90 years. Its original construction represents the efforts of the City's early residents and the Carnegie Foundation, which funded libraries throughout the country from 1886 to 1923, to build a new facility. The building is currently located within the Snohomish City National Register Historic District.
The building's design follows an early twentieth century prototype, based on the grant requirements of the Carnegie Foundation. Completed in 1910, it was set on a large, landscaped site. The site contains many beautiful mature trees, which have been identified by a city survey for preservation. The building's Renaissance Revival/Prairie School style is impressive. The exterior featured large wood frame windows, and cast-in place decorative bands and book publishers' printers' insignia that enlivened the white stucco concrete walls. The interior was characterized by a 17'-tall Upper Floor Reading Room, which was a lofty and light filled space.