Carnegie Foundation Fund Raiser and Information

click to see photos

Carnegie Foundation held a meet and greet for people to get introduced to the grand history of the library. There was a slide show and lots of displays arranged around the main room on the first floor. They even had several people in authentic period dress to greet event goers. The Carnegie Building, built as a library in 1910 with $10,000 from the Carnegie Foundation, which provided money for many small libraries across the nation. The building was used for its original purpose until the new library opened along Maple Avenue in 2003. The Carnegie Foundation also helped to build two other libraries in Snohomish County in the early 20th century. One is still in downtown Everett and could be leased to the Museum of Snohomish County History. The other remains in downtown Edmonds as a historical museum.

As the city-owned building nears its centennial milestone, supporters are trying to raise $4 million for restoration. The purpose is to use the building for multiple activities, including educational programs, meetings and family events. In early 2005 the Snohomish City Council approved recommendations by the Carnegie Preservation Committee to restore this historic building as a community resource. Restoration is expected to take about 5 years. Planning, fund raising, design and construction will be handled by the Snohomish Carnegie Foundation with guidance from the City of Snohomish. The Snohomish Carnegie Library is one of Washington State's remaining thirty historic Carnegie libraries. The library served the City of Snohomish for over 90 years. Its original construction represents the efforts of the City's early residents and the Carnegie Foundation, which funded libraries throughout the country from 1886 to 1923, to build a new facility.

For more information, call 360-243-9509 or go to www.snohomishcarnegie.org. Donations can be sent to the Snohomish Carnegie Foundation, P.O. Box 1088, Snohomish, WA 98291.