Cordell Carnegie Public Library
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Cordell Carnegie Public Library | |
.jpg) Former library, now the Washita County Historical Museum, in 2015. | |
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| Location | 105 E. First St., Cordell, Oklahoma |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°17′33″N 98°59′22″W / 35.29250°N 98.98944°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1911 |
| Built by | Bass, D.C. |
| Architect | Crowell, A.A. |
| Architectural style | Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 89001966[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 13, 1989 |
The Cordell Carnegie Public Library is a historic Carnegie library located at 105 E. First St. in New Cordell, Oklahoma. The library was built in 1911 through a $10,000 grant from the Carnegie foundation; New Cordell's Commercial Club, which had opened a reading room the previous year, solicited the grant. Architect A. A. Crowell designed the library in the Mission Revival style; several of its elements reflect the emerging Spanish Colonial Revival style. The building's curved parapet walls, exposed rafters, and original red tile roof are all characteristic Mission Revival elements; its segmental arches, sunburst moldings, and ornamental ironwork resemble Spanish Colonial Revival work. The library was the only one in Washita County until the 1960s; it also served as a community center and was regularly used by local schools. In 1982, a new library opened in New Cordell, and the Carnegie Library building became the Washita County Historical Museum.[2]
The Cordell Commercial Club established a Library Committee in early Spring of 1910. with I. M. Brill, as chairman of the committee. The committee's assignment was to establish a public library by collecting books and obtaining a grant from the Carnegie Foundation. The committee had built up a collection of 700 books by April 1910, through donations or purchases. By June, the Commercial Club had found sufficient space to open a reading room. In the fall of 1910, the Cordell City Council passed a 2-mill tax, which was earmarked for a library operating fund, a prerequisite for application for a Carnegie grant.[a] The grant for up to $10,000 was approved in January 1911. Construction bids were solicited. On June 8, a contract for $7,967 was awarded to the successful bidder, D. C. Bass Company, of Enid, Oklahoma. The Carnegie Foundation later provided an additional $1,000 for additional work on the project. The library opened for use on January 18, 1912.[2]
Cordell Carnegie Library was the only public library in Washita County until a small library was built in Sentinel, Oklahoma during the 1960s. However, the local paper (the Cordell Beacon), indicated that, as of January 28, 1981, individuals and school groups throughout the county continued their extensive use of the Cordell library.[2]
NRHP listing
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places (as NRIS # 89001966) on November 13, 1989, under NRHP Criteria A and C.[1] The Period of Significance is given as 1911 - 1939. It is also listed as a Contributing Structure for the New Cordell Courthouse Square Historic District, on the National Register (NRIS = # 98001592.[3] Shortly after this statement was made, funding was provided by the city to pay for a new library structure. The old Carnegie Library became the property of the City of Cordell, which negotiated a long-term lease with the Cordell Historical Society to use the building as a museum.[2]
