East Orange Public Library
Encyclopedia
The East Orange Public Library is the free public library
of East Orange, New Jersey
.
. The former Main Branch, now a courthouse, was also a Carnegie library
.
, orchestrated the first grant to be offered in New Jersey made January 18, 1900. Originally it was of source of controversy. While Carnegie offered $50,000 he also stipulated $5,000 be committed by the municipality for its upkeep, and some residents felt they would prefer to manage the city's library without Carnegie's interference and could easily make use of the recently opened library in Orange.
Eventually the city purchased a lot a Main Street and South Munn Avenue where the building was constructed and opened on January 3, 1903. This original section was the work Ackerman and Ross
, who also designed the library that is now houses the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. In 1914, the Carnegie Library Fund granted another $40,000 to an expansion of much needed wings, designed by Hobart A. Walker and opened the following year.
In 2009, the building was altered and converted to the East Orange Municpal Court.
. It was expanded in 1939.
. The building was originally built around 1914 as horse-drawn fire engine station; a second floor was added in the 1950s, and underwent renovation in 2010.
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
of East Orange, New Jersey
East Orange, New Jersey
East Orange is a city in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the city's population 64,270, making it the state's 20th largest municipality, having dropped 5,554 residents from its population of 69,824 in the 2000 Census, when it was the state's 14th most...
.
Locations and circulation
As of 2011, the library had a collection of 343,918 volumes, served a population of approximately 73,000 and circulated 318,748 items annually. from four locations.- Main Library - 21 South Arlington Avenue
- Ampere Branch - Ampere Plaza
- Elmwood Branch - 317 South Clinton Street
- Franklin Branch - 192 Dodd Street
Carnegie libraries
Of the library's four locations, two were originally among the thirty-six Carnegie-funded libraries in New Jersey. East Orange's original library buildings, except the Ampere Branch, were constructed in part with funds from the $116,000 in grants from the Carnegie CorporationCarnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York, which was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 "to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding," is one of the oldest, largest and most influential of American foundations...
. The former Main Branch, now a courthouse, was also a Carnegie library
Carnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
.
East Orange Municipal Court Building
The first of libraries built with Carnegie funding was the former Main Library. Alexander King, resident of the city and child-hood friend of Andrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
, orchestrated the first grant to be offered in New Jersey made January 18, 1900. Originally it was of source of controversy. While Carnegie offered $50,000 he also stipulated $5,000 be committed by the municipality for its upkeep, and some residents felt they would prefer to manage the city's library without Carnegie's interference and could easily make use of the recently opened library in Orange.
Eventually the city purchased a lot a Main Street and South Munn Avenue where the building was constructed and opened on January 3, 1903. This original section was the work Ackerman and Ross
Albert Randolph Ross
Albert Randolph Ross was an American architect. Born in Westfield, Massachusetts, he was a son of architect John W. Ross....
, who also designed the library that is now houses the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. In 1914, the Carnegie Library Fund granted another $40,000 to an expansion of much needed wings, designed by Hobart A. Walker and opened the following year.
In 2009, the building was altered and converted to the East Orange Municpal Court.
Franklin Branch Library
After receiving a grant fo $13,000 the Franklin Branch was built, opening on August 1, 1909 at it's location on Dodd Street near Watsessing ParkWatsessing Park
Watsessing Park is a park in Essex County, New Jersey, in the city of East Orange and the town of Bloomfield. The park covers 69 acres , just west of the Garden State Parkway, and contains the confluence of the Second River and Toney's Brook....
. It was expanded in 1939.
Elmwood Branch Library
The Elmwood Branch was made possible through a $13,000 grant from the Carnegie Library Fund and opened on January 12, 1912.Ampere Branch
The Ampere Branch opened as a deposit station in 1915. After changing locations it become a branch library in 1923, and on March 17, 1931 moved to its current location across from the former Ampere StationAmpere (NJT station)
Ampere Station, formerly known as The Crescent, is a closed station on New Jersey Transit's Montclair Branch in the city of East Orange, New Jersey. The station depot was built originally in 1890 to service to new Crocker Wheeler plant in the district...
. The building was originally built around 1914 as horse-drawn fire engine station; a second floor was added in the 1950s, and underwent renovation in 2010.
See also
- List of Carnegie libraries in New Jersey
- Newark Public LibraryNewark Public LibraryThe Newark Public Library is the public library system for the city of Newark, New Jersey.-History:In 1902 John Cotton Dana became employed at the Newark Public Library in Newark, New Jersey from until his death in 1929. He established foreign language collections for immigrants and also developed...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, New Jersey
