East Lake Library is one of 41 branch libraries in the

Hennepin County Library System Hennepin County Library is a public library system serving Hennepin County, Minnesota, US. The current iteration of Hennepin County Library was formed by the merger of urban Minneapolis Public Library and suburban Hennepin County Library on J ...

, one of 15 branch libraries formerly in the Minneapolis Public Library System in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, United States. Three different buildings have housed the library since 1924.

Buildings

First

The first East Lake Community Library opened in February 1924, between the

Hosmer Community Library Hosmer Library, originally known as the Thirty-Sixth Street Branch Library, is a branch library of the Hennepin County Library system serving the Central neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It was named the Hosmer Library in ho ...

and Roosevelt Community Library, which is modeled closely after East Lake. Situated on Lake Street, it featured simple architecture and a skylight. Because of its appearance, seemingly like a storefront, the library was called a 'Reading Factory'. East Lake was one of the last libraries built in a library 'building boom' that Minneapolis experienced starting in 1905 and ending in 1937. The first East Lake remained until the mid-1970s when the need for a new, larger library grew. By 1974 East Lake was circulating 121,459 items and fielding tens of thousands of reference questions. In 1976 the library closed and was reopened as a

Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

day care. In 1987 Northern Sun Merchandising purchased the building and runs it there to this day. In 2000 the building was added to 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 v ...

. In 2004–5, 80 solar panels (9.6 kW) were installed on the roof. The original library shelves still circle the walls of the building.

Second

The second East Lake was built two blocks west of the original library. It had of space and 30,000 volumes. It also had a meeting room. The building was built by the Minnehaha Mall which included a

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

and SuperValu store, and helped bring growth to the area. It served patrons of the

Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

and Phillips neighborhoods well (second in circulation numbers to only

Washburn Library Washburn Library, formerly Washburn Community Library, is a public library in the Hennepin County Library system. Opened in September 1970, Washburn Library, located at 5244 Lyndale Avenue South in Minneapolis, began with a footprint of and appr ...

), although by around the start of the 21st century, the building was beginning to show wear. In 1999, a plan called ''Outlook Twenty Ten'' outlined some options for the renewal of the library: * Option A called for a expansion to the building, which was to cost almost $3 million. * Option B outlined a expansion and the acquisition of neighboring properties. This was to allow greater creative flexibility in the designation of a new library building. It was to cost almost $3 million. * Option C simply had the library repaired and slightly renovated. No cost was projected. None of Outlook Twenty Ten's original suggestions were followed, and on April 30, 2005, the second East Lake was closed to make way for the third building.

Third

The current East Lake was modeled after

Minneapolis Central Library Minneapolis Central Library, a library in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, is the largest library of the Hennepin County Library public library system. It bills itself as having "the third largest per capita public library collecti ...

, which was also under construction at the time. The new East Lake facility features a glass and metal exterior and was designed by

KKE Architects KKE Architects (formerly Korsunsky Krank Erickson Architects) was an architecture firm that serves in the fields of architecture, interior design and architectural planning. KKE was ranked one of the top 50 architectural firms in the United State ...

. It was the first green branch library in the MPL system. The library opened on March 10, 2007. It includes a meeting room, children's area, computers, a zine collection, and fully automated checkout systems. It is located in the same place as the 1976 building, 2727 E. Lake Street. The library building was damaged by smoke and water from

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

that occurred during the overnight hours of May 27, 2020, during the

George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul Local protests over the murder of George Floyd (sometimes called the Minneapolis riots or Minneapolis uprising) began on May 26, 2020, and quickly inspired a global protest movement against police brutality and racial inequality. The initial ...

Programs

K-12 Homework Help is a free after-school program for students in the neighborhood. East Lake also hosts a monthly Mystery Book Club, a weekly Weekly Art + Craft Practice Group, and regular visits by nonprofit and government agencies offering social supports and career services.

Works of art

East Lake Library art includes Zoran Mojsilov's 2007 piece ''Zoomorphy'', presenting large granite rocks held in place by sinuous steel rods. Weighing 26,000 pounds, ''Zoomorphy'' is located in the external

rain garden Rain gardens, also called bioretention facilities, are one of a variety of practices designed to increase rain runoff reabsorption by the soil. They can also be used to treat polluted stormwater runoff. Rain gardens are designed landscape sites t ...

. Visitors looking through the library's external windows encounter Janet Lofquist's ''Pages'', featuring etched glass versions of literary excerpts from Dr. Seuss's ''Cat in the Hat'', Galileo Galilei's work, and Miguel de Cervantes's ''Don Quixote''.Lofquist, Janet, "Pages," http://janetlofquist.com/pages/#4

References

{{Coord, 44, 56, 53, N, 93, 13, 55, W, display=title Buildings and structures in Minneapolis Hennepin County Library Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Library buildings completed in 1924 Library buildings completed in 1976 Library buildings completed in 2007 Minneapolis Public Library National Register of Historic Places in Hennepin County, Minnesota