The Aitkin Carnegie Library is a Carnegie library in

Aitkin, Minnesota Aitkin ( ) is a city and the county seat of Aitkin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,168 at the 2020 census. History Before the establishment of City of Aitkin, a transient community of Lexington was located at the mout ...

, United States. It was designed by architects

Claude & Starck Claude and Starck was an architectural firm in Madison, Wisconsin, at the turn of the twentieth century. The firm was a partnership of Louis W. Claude (1868–1951) and Edward F. Starck (1868–1947). Starck apprenticed with Edward Townsend Mix in ...

and was built in the

Classical Revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...

style. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1982. It is a one-story buff-colored brick building upon an elevated basement and a concrete foundation. It has a central classical

pedimented Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In ancient ...

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

. In 1981 it was deemed "significant both for its role in the intellectual and cultural development of Aitkin and as a well-preserved example of the Minnesota small-town library structures financed by

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

, noted turn-of-the-century steel magnate. Aitkin citizens organized a free public library in 1904. The library collection was temporarily housed in the village council chamber until the present structure's construction in 1911 with a $6,500 grant from the Carnegie Foundation. The library, unlike many Carnegie-funded libraries which have been demolished or altered as community library systems have expanded, retains its original design integrity while continuing to serve the community in its intended educational role. Architecturally, the library is a notable local example of public Neo-classical design." With In 1982 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and the building currently serves as the Jaques Art Center. In 1995 the building was purchased for $1 by area citizens wanting a home for the preservation and exhibition of the work of Aitkin County artist,

Francis Lee Jaques Francis Lee Jaques (September 28, 1887 – July 24, 1969) was an American wildlife painter. Jaques hunted and trapped with his father and connected with editors and writers from major hunting magazines. While still a teenager, Jacques paid ten do ...

. The building was renovated in 2004 adding an elevator, the Jaques Gallery, and a classroom. Tremendous care was taken during the renovation to preserve the historical integrity of the structure, however the maintenance of this structure is costly and the Jaques Art Center has been in search of funding for maintenance and repairs. The nonprofit Jaques Art Center is home to the largest collection of Francis Lee Jaques art outside of the Bell Museum and hosts new art exhibits approximately every 8 weeks. In keeping with the original Carnegie Library tradition, the gift shop also has an extensive book collection.

References

External links

Jaques Art Center
Library buildings completed in 1911 Aitkin, Minnesota Carnegie libraries in Minnesota Neoclassical architecture in Minnesota Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota 1911 establishments in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Aitkin County, Minnesota {{Minnesota-NRHP-stub