The Carnegie Library in El Reno,

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

is the oldest Carnegie library in Oklahoma that is still functioning as a

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

. Constructed in 1903, it was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1980 and has been in continuous use as a library since its opening. The main feature of the

Classical Revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...

structure is its two-story portico with four

ionic columns The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite ...

. The only structural addition to the library since its construction was a fireproof archives room built in 1964.

References

Carnegie libraries in Oklahoma Library buildings completed in 1903 Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma Buildings and structures in Canadian County, Oklahoma Neoclassical architecture in Oklahoma National Register of Historic Places in Canadian County, Oklahoma {{Oklahoma-NRHP-stub