Marion Public Library (Marion, Ohio)

The Marion Public Library building, now part of the Trinity Baptist Church, is a historic Carnegie library in Marion, Ohio. Funded with a Carnegie Grant in 1905, the public library opened in 1907.[1] The library was designed by Richards, McCarty & Bulford of Columbus, Ohio.[2] The architectural firm also designed the Frank Huber Residence, located at 416 Church Street (diagonal from the current library building) and the Huber Building, a five-story department store in Marion.

Front of the library

Andrew Carnegie donated $30,000 to build the library. It was designed in the Beaux Arts style. The historic building closed in 1978 and is now part of the Trinity Baptist Church complex.[3]

New library

A newer Marion Public Library was constructed in 1978 on the site of the Greenwood Street School[3] at 445 East Church Street. In 1997 additional construction occurred adding more space on both floors.

Library history

Industrialist Edward Huber established Marion's first library in 1886,[4] the Mechanics Library.[3] It was a subscription library for his employees and other employers joined in to form a library association. The library was open to the public by 1891 and was funded by a tax levy.[2]

The library was expanded in 1957 and again in 1963.[2] The Carnegie library was purchased by Trinity Baptist Church in 1979 for $125,000 and remodeled.[1][5]

The Marion Public Library was featured on a postcard.[6]

References
  1. Our History Trinity Baptist Church in Marion
  2. Trinity Baptist Church Waymarking.com (includes photos)
  3. Marion Randy Winland
  4. Marion History ยป Huber Archived 2013-12-25 at the Wayback Machine May 14, 2012 Marion Star
  5. Carnegie Libraries of Ohio by Mary Ellen Armentrout

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