The Camden Free Public Library Main Building is the first former main library of the

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 20 ...

public library system. Designed by Herbert D. Hale and

Henry G. Morse Henry Grant Morse, Jr. (1884 – May 28, 1934) was an American architect, best known for the two English manor houses that he Structure relocation, relocated to Richmond, Virginia. Early life He was born in Canton, Ohio to Mary K. and Henry G. Mor ...

, the building was constructed with a grant from the

Carnegie Corporation The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...

and opened in 1905. It closed in 1986 with the relocation of the library's main branch to the former South Jersey Gas, Electric and Traction Company Office Building. In 1992, the building was placed on the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

and

national National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

registers of historic places. The building has fallen into state of serious disrepair. In 2003, funding was found for its stabilization, with the hope that it would be preserved and re-used. The city's once extensive library system has been beleaguered by financial difficulties. In 2010, it threatened to close but was incorporated by the county library system. Nonetheless, the main branch did close in February 2011.

References

External links

Carnegie Library Camden

Waymarking

Postcards of Camden

{{National Register of Historic Places Library buildings completed in 1905 Buildings and structures in Camden, New Jersey Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey History of Camden, New Jersey Neoclassical architecture in New Jersey Carnegie libraries in New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Camden County, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places 1905 establishments in New Jersey

See also

References

External links