The Bozeman Carnegie Library in

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

was built in 1903–1904 with funding from Andrew Carnegie. 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

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in Classical Revival style, with Roman

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columns supporting a triangular pediment at its entrance. The library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places 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

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and

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, which had opium dens. Reform-minded citizens with

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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 capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

, 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 wh ...

, 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