Smooth white marble, hulking columns, intricate pediments. This description of a classical building may seem familiar because it is reflected across most federal buildings in the nation's capital. However, this wasn't always the case. The Carnegie Library in Mount Vernon Square was actually the one of the earliest of the buildings designed in this style in Washington, DC.
Beaux-Arts Inspiration
The story of the Carnegie Library’s architecture begins across the globe at the École des Beaux-Arts, a Parisian school of design which drew inspiration from classical Greek and Roman architecture to create order and balance. This style gained popularity in the United States following the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the unveiling of the White City, a city replica built to showcase the fair’s various exhibitions.
The Progressive Movement, which supported a variety of reforms and social programs to improve American society, was also emerging during this period. The influence of the White City’s grandeur and the ideals of the Progressive Movement converged to launch the “City Beautiful Movement” which highlighted the importance of beauty and order in public space--particularly in urban areas--to produce civic-minded citizens and a “good” society.
The South Canal of the Chicago World’s Fair, 1893, was flanked by the Agricultural Hall of exhibits, at right, and Machinery Hall at left. Photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston. Courtesy, Library of Congress
Carnegie's Offer
During this same period, Andrew Carnegie actively funded the creation of public libraries throughout the country because of their potential to uplift the working class through education. This effort to educate the masses also aligned with larger concerns of the Progressive Movement about the need to create an educated citizenry. In 1899, Carnegie agreed to donate $250,000 for the construction of a library in Washington, DC, on the condition that the city would furnish the library with books and pay to maintain its daily operation.
Location, Location, Location
With Carnegie’s support secured, the next step was to select a site for the construction of the library. As Washington, DC, was governed by Congress during this period, this task fell to the U.S. Senate Committee on the District of Columbia.
The two locations selected for final consideration were Mount Vernon Square and the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventh Street NW. Plans to place a building in Mount Vernon Square were controversial because of the square’s designation in the original L’Enfant Plan for Washington as open land for a public park. However, concerns over flooding at the Pennsylvania Avenue location led the committee to choose the Mount Vernon location.
Who Will Design the Library?
The 1899 congressional bill which selected Mount Vernon Square as the location for the library also required the creation of the Washington Public Library Commission to find a suitable architect. The commission comprised the president of the Library Board of Trustees, the superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds, and the three District of Columbia commissioners. They decided to hold a competition for different architectural firms to submit their designs to be evaluated by the commission.
The commission was largely focused on the functionality of the space as an operating library rather than its aesthetics. Their minimal design requirements included: space to accommodate at least 225,000 volumes with room to grow, large windows to illuminate the space efficiently, a combination of traditional closed stacks and newly popular open stacks, a designated children’s reading room, and a separate bicycle entrance. The only request regarding the aesthetic of the library was that the exterior be made of white marble or some similar substance, alluding to the commission’s desire for a classical style.
A Library on the Cutting Edge
Several of these design guidelines were groundbreaking for a library from this period. Although a common feature in libraries today, children’s reading rooms were almost unheard of in the early twentieth century. Public libraries served adults, so setting aside an entire room for children was significant. The requirement of a separate entrance for bicycles was also unique because bicycles were only starting to become a popular mode of transportation. Lastly, the use of new open stack storage increased access to the library’s collections by allowing patrons to browse the shelves themselves. Each of these design elements reflect the commission’s desire to create a space that was both inclusive and on the cutting edge of innovation.
Blueprint of winning design, Ackerman & Ross, 1899. Courtesy, National Archives
Winning Design
After reviewing more than twenty designs, the committee selected the design by the New York firm, Ackerman & Ross. Ross, with his training at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, met the committee’s desire for a classically inspired building in the Beaux-Arts style.
Their design featured a two-story structure with a basement to house the bicycle room required by the commission. It also incorporated classical ornamentation on the marble exterior such as columns, scrollwork, and pediments as well as bronze details throughout. Despite the commission’s focus on the functionality of the space in their requirements, Ackerman & Ross’s design also elevated the building’s aesthetics.
A key element of Ackerman & Ross’s design was exterior ornamentation, specifically in the form of sculpture. To complete this work, they hired Philip Martiny, a famous sculptor whose decorative elements had graced the White City at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. For the Carnegie Library, Martiny designed the exterior sculptures, adornments inspired by Classical Greek and Roman architecture, and the library clock.
Setbacks Along the Way
Once construction began, it was apparent that the funds offered by Carnegie would not cover the entire cost of Ackerman & Ross’s elaborate design. Even with an additional $50,000 given by Carnegie, substitutions would have to be made.
To keep costs down, Ackerman & Ross agreed to make two major changes to the original design. The first was that the exterior would be made of a lower quality marble and supplemented with granite for the basement level. The second change was that bronze plating, rather than solid bronze, would be used for the ornamentation. Cost-cutting also led the interior to be much plainer than originally intended.
In spite of the delays associated with the funding and alterations, the building opened as the Central Public Library in 1903.
This progress view of January 7, 1901, looks west. On this side of the building, the granite window frame is in place at right. The pulley of the central block and tackle, above the construction hut, aligns with K Street. Courtesy, Library of Congress
A Crowded Library
Following the grand opening, some finishing touches were added including painting, lighting, extending the stacks to accommodate more books, and some reconfiguration of the separate rooms. Almost immediately after opening, the building began to experience capacity issues as Washingtonians flocked to the library. Several branch libraries were quickly established to ease the pressure on the Central Public Library, but it still remained overcrowded.
A 1962 renovation attempted to increase the capacity of the library. The renovation consisted of the enlargement of two rooms, installation of an elevator, the addition of a mezzanine in two of the reading rooms, and the replacement of two boilers.
Landmark Status
The Carnegie Library was added to the DC Inventory of Historic Sites in 1964 as a Category II Landmark and then listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1969. Mount Vernon Square, where the library is located, is also listed in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites and the NRHP.
During this period, the surrounding downtown area started to be redeveloped. These designations meant that any alterations to the building’s exterior have to be approved by the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts, the DC Historic Preservation Review Board, and the National Capital Planning Commission to ensure that any construction didn’t affect the historical significance of the building.
A New Kind of University
Shortly after the building was added to the National Register, the DC Public Library vacated the Carnegie Library to move into the newly built Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on 9th and G streets, just a few blocks away. The Carnegie Library sat vacant for five years until the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) leased it in 1977 as part of efforts to expand their campus.
UDC then undertook a renovation to convert the building for use as their Architecture department. The most significant change from this renovation was the creation of a new main entrance above the original basement entrance on the north (Mount Vernon Place) side of the building. However, by 1993 the University of the District of Columbia had abandoned their plans to use the Carnegie and it sat vacant again.
When this aerial photograph was taken in 1992, the Carnegie Library sat across from large parking lots. That land had been cleared for a downtown college campus plan for the University of the District of Columbia that was not completed. At the upper right is the old Convention Center. In 2003 the new Walter E. Washington Convention Center replaced the two large parking lots. In 2014 the CityCenter development opened on the former site of the old Convention Center. Courtesy, Library of Congress
A Museum for the City
In a city that so often focuses on national themes, it is important to remember that DC also has local communities and a history of its own. This was the idea behind the City Museum proposed in the late 1990s by the Historical Society of Washington, DC (now the DC History Center). In 2003, the Carnegie Library was renovated again to house this museum for the city. Changes to the space included: a new 150-seat theater in the east wing of the building, a permanent exhibit in the former west reading room on the first floor, and community galleries focusing on DC neighborhoods.
Early on, the City Museum struggled with its location--off the National Mall in a neighborhood that had not yet gentrified--and the fact that it charged admission in a city where most museums are free. The City Museum closed its doors in 2004 but the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.’s Kiplinger Research Library, offices, and exhibits continued to operate out of the Carnegie Library.
Apple Renovation
The most recent architectural changes to the Carnegie came in 2017-2019 with a significant renovation and restoration funded by Apple in partnership with Events DC and the DC History Center. The decorative elements, such as the pediments and sculptures, have been repaired or replaced. Measures were also taken to reverse some of the interior renovations and return key spaces to their original design. This included removing paint from the Guastavino tile ceiling in the bicycle room and uncovering old windows and skylights that had been covered up. The restoration by Foster+Partners and Beyer, Blinder, Belle won the 2020 District of Columbia Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation.
Apple opened a retail space on the main level of the restored building. The DC History Center continues to operate on the second floor of the building.
Photo of the Carnegie Library's exterior following the Apple renovation and restoration. Courtesy, DC History Center