The Burlington Public Library is a public library located in Burlington, Iowa, United States. It dates back to 1868. The library is currently located on Court Street. The previous library building on Fourth Street was individually listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1975. It was then added as a contributing property in the Heritage Hill Historic District in 1982.

History

The Burlington Public Library traces its origin to a subscription library that was created in two rooms located in city hall in 1868. It was established by

US Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

James Wilson Grimes who contributed $5,000 of his own money to the effort. Local philanthropist Philip M. Crapo suggested that a new library building be constructed. He offered $20,000 of his own money for the project if the city council matched his gift, which they did. with Crapo also provided the funds for many of the furnishings in the building as well.

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

architect T.S. Hoyt designed the building in the Gothic Revival style. The builder, J. C. Sutherland, modified the plans and it was constructed in more of a

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

style from 1896 to 1898. The total cost of the project was $55,000. The ground was broken for the present library building in October 2004. Funding for the project came from the Friends of the Burlington Public Library Foundation, private contributions raised by a capital campaign, the city of Burlington, a Vision Iowa Grant, and Des Moines County. It was opened for the first time on November 13, 2006. The library won the Main Street Iowa Award for the Best Community Initiated Development Project in 2007. The library is heated and cooled by a geothermal system that is fed by 132 wells under the parking lot. The old library building became the home of the Des Moines County Historical Society museum.

References

{{authority control Library buildings completed in 1898 Library buildings completed in 2006 Buildings and structures in Burlington, Iowa Renaissance Revival architecture in Iowa Public libraries in Iowa Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Des Moines County, Iowa Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Iowa