The Bozeman Carnegie Library in

Bozeman, Montana Bozeman ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The 2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montan ...

was built in 1903–1904 with funding from

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 ...

. City librarian Bell Chrisman led the effort to convince the city to seek Carnegie funds. It is one of 17 libraries in Montana and 1,679 in the United States funded by Carnegie. It was built on a Greek Cross plan in

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, with Roman Doric columns supporting a triangular

pediment 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 an ...

at its entrance. The 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 February 2, 1979. Today, the building houses the law offices of Cok Kinzler, PLLP.

Establishment

By 1900, the small libraries that had served Bozeman since 1872 were inadequate. Local librarian Bell Chrisman wrote directly to Andrew Carnegie, explaining the need for a new library. Carnegie donated $15,000, and the city of Bozeman pledged annual support and provided land, which at the time happened to be across the street from the

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex industry, sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light district ...

and

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

, which had

opium den An opium den was an establishment in which opium was sold and smoked. Opium dens were prevalent in many parts of the world in the 19th century, most notably China, Southeast Asia, North America, and France. Throughout the West, opium dens were f ...

s. Reform-minded citizens with Progressive beliefs, led by Bell Chrisman, intentionally selected the location to rid Bozeman of its disreputable neighborhood. Although the proposed location met considerable opposition, Chrisman and her followers prevailed, and the red-light district and the Chinese population dwindled. The building was designed by Charles S. Haire, an architect from

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat, seat of Lewis and Clark County, Montana, Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold ...

, and served as a library until 1980 when a new library was completed. The building then housed city offices. By the mid-1990s, the building was in a serious state of disrepair. In 1998, Michael Wheat, now a member of the

Montana Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court is the supreme court, highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court w ...

, and his law partner, Michael Cok, purchased the building for their law offices and undertook extensive renovations which were completed in 1999. Today, the building is often opened for public events, including Historic Preservation Week. According to local preservationist B. Derek Strahn, several other buildings in Bozeman's historic section were renovated in the 1990s and early 2000s, but "few have had as great an impact as the restoration and rehabilitation of Bozeman's cherished Carnegie Library."

References

{{Authority control Library buildings completed in 1904 Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Montana Neoclassical architecture in Montana Carnegie libraries in Montana Buildings and structures in Bozeman, Montana 1903 establishments in Montana National Register of Historic Places in Gallatin County, Montana

Establishment

See also

References