Alta Public Library is a historic

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

building in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, in the United States. Designed by noted New York City architect

George B. Post George Browne Post (December 15, 1837 – November 28, 1913) was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition. He was recognized as a master of modern American architecture as well as being instrumental in the birth of the skyscra ...

, the building (completed in 1914) was an addition to the existing Alta House, a settlement house for the Italian American community in Cleveland. Although Alta House burned in 1980 and was demolished in 1981, the library survived undamaged. The Alta Public Library was 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 artist ...

on October 4, 2005.

Construction of Alta House and the Alta Public Library

In 1895, billionaire oilman

John D. Rockefeller, Sr. John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...

agreed to fund the construction of a settlement house consisting of a

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

and

day care Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

nursery in the Little Italy area of Cleveland, Ohio. It was named Alta House, in honor of Rockefeller's daughter,

Alta Alta or ALTA may refer to: Acronyms * Alt-A, short for Alternative A-paper, is a type of U.S. mortgage * American Land Title Association, a national trade association representing the land title industry * American Literary Translators Associatio ...

. Charles W. Hopkinson, a noted local architect, was commissioned to design the building, which opened in 1899. In 1910, Rockefeller agreed to fund the expansion of Alta House to include a gym, library, and swimming pool.

designed the Neoclassical addition to Alta House as well as the library. The library opened on February 10, 1914.

Fire and loss of Alta House

A fire struck the Alta House portion of the complex on June 22, 1980, doing $40,000 ($ in dollars) in damage. A second fire on July 1 caused $8,000 ($ in dollars) in damages. Both fires were later believed to be arson, although over time an electrical fault was found to be the cause of the first fire. Arsonists struck the building again twice more in the following weeks, although each blaze was small. The cumulative effect of the fires was to force Alta House programs to use the Alta Public Library building for programming. City officials determined that the damage to Alta House was too extensive, and condemned the structure on November 12, 1980. Alta House officials decided to tear down the structure after determining that the cost of repairs would be more than $1 million ($ in dollars), and that no company would insure the structure. Only the main building was razed, saving the Alta House swimming pool and gymnasium. The Alta Public Library was undamaged. A new structure to house Alta House opened in May 1982. This consisted of a much smaller building (essentially a wing of the library), two stories in height. Bocce courts replaced much of the site of the old building. In 2016, the Alta Public Library received a major refurbishment. Overseen by Cleveland architect Joseph Linek, the $1.6 million ($ in dollars) renovation (partially funded by $240,000 ($ in dollars) in historic preservation tax credits) included conservation, restoration, and refurbishment of the original oak floors, window wells, windows, and cornice brickwork. The Cleveland Montessori School joined the library in taking up residence in the renovated structure.

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{{authority control Buildings and structures in Cleveland Public libraries in Ohio Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Cleveland, Ohio Libraries in Cuyahoga County, Ohio University Circle Neoclassical architecture in Ohio