Alta Public Library is a historic

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

building in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, in the United States. Designed by noted New York City architect

George B. Post George Browne Post (December15, 1837November28, 1913) was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition. Active from 1869 almost until his death, he was recognized as a master of several contemporary American architectural genres, an ...

, the building (completed in 1914) was an addition to the existing Alta House, a

settlement house The settlement movement was a reformist social movement that began in the 1880s and peaked around the 1920s in the United Kingdom and the United States. Its goal was to bring the rich and the poor of society together in both physical proximity an ...

for the Italian American community in Cleveland. Although Alta House burned in 1980 and was demolished in 1981, the library survived undamaged. The Alta Public Library 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 ...

on October 4, 2005.

Construction of Alta House and the Alta Public Library

In 1895, billionaire oilman John D. Rockefeller, Sr. agreed to fund the construction of a

consisting of a

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

and

day care Child care, also known as day care, is the care and supervision of one or more children, typically ranging from three months to 18 years old. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(ren), childcare typica ...

nursery in the

Little Italy Little Italy is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an Urban area, urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian cul ...

area of Cleveland, Ohio. It was named Alta House, in honor of Rockefeller's daughter, Alta. Charles W. Hopkinson, a noted local architect, was commissioned to design the building, which opened in 1899. In 1910, Rockefeller agreed to fund the expansion of Alta House to include a

gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

, library, and swimming pool.

designed the Neoclassical addition to Alta House as well as the library. The library opened on February 10, 1914.

Fire and loss of Alta House

A fire struck the Alta House portion of the complex on June 22, 1980, doing $40,000 ($ in dollars) in damage. A second fire on July 1 caused $8,000 ($ in dollars) in damages. Both fires were later believed to be arson, although over time an electrical fault was found to be the cause of the first fire. Arsonists struck the building again twice more in the following weeks, although each blaze was small. The cumulative effect of the fires was to force Alta House programs to use the Alta Public Library building for programming. City officials determined that the damage to Alta House was too extensive, and condemned the structure on November 12, 1980. Alta House officials decided to tear down the structure after determining that the cost of repairs would be more than $1 million ($ in dollars), and that no company would insure the structure. Only the main building was razed, saving the Alta House swimming pool and gymnasium. The Alta Public Library was undamaged. A new structure to house Alta House opened in May 1982. This consisted of a much smaller building (essentially a wing of the library), two stories in height.

Bocce (, or , ), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball, bocci, or boccie, is a ball sport belonging to the boules family. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to English bowls and French , with a common ancestry from anc ...

courts replaced much of the site of the old building. In 2016, the Alta Public Library received a major refurbishment. Overseen by Cleveland architect Joseph Linek, the $1.6 million ($ in dollars) renovation (partially funded by $240,000 ($ in dollars) in historic preservation tax credits) included conservation, restoration, and refurbishment of the original oak floors, window wells, windows, and cornice brickwork. The Cleveland Montessori School joined the library in taking up residence in the renovated structure.

References

External links

{{authority control Buildings and structures in Cleveland Public libraries in Ohio Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Cleveland, Ohio Libraries in Cuyahoga County, Ohio University Circle Neoclassical architecture in Ohio