East Lake Community Library

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The East Lake Community Library is one of 14 branch libraries formerly in the Minneapolis Public Library System and now one of 40 branch libraries in the Hennepin County Library System in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Three different buildings have housed the library since 1924.[1]

Contents

[edit] First East Lake

East Lake Branch Library
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The first East Lake building, now a store
The first East Lake building, now a store
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Coordinates: 44°56′56″N 93°13′44″W / 44.94889, -93.22889Coordinates: 44°56′56″N 93°13′44″W / 44.94889, -93.22889
Built/Founded: 1924
Architect: Jerome Paul Jackson, Splady & Hagonson
Architectural style(s): Tudor Revival
Added to NRHP: May 26, 2000
NRHP Reference#: 00000542[2]
Governing body: Private

The first East Lake Community Library opened in February, 1924, between the Hosmer Community Library and Roosevelt Community Library, which is modeled closely after East Lake.[3] 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'.[3] East Lake was one of the last libraries built in a library 'building boom' that Minneapolis experienced starting in 1905 and ending in 1937.[4]

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.[5] In 1976, the library closed and the second incarnation opened. In 1990, Northern Sun Merchandising purchased the building and runs it there to this day.[1] In 2000, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

[edit] Second East Lake

The second East Lake was built two blocks west of the original library. It had 15,116 square feet (1,404 m²) of space and 30,000 volumes.[3] It also had a 2,390 square feet (222 m²) meeting room.[6] The building was built by the Minnehaha Mall which included a Target and SuperValu store, and helped bring growth to the area.[3] It served patrons of the Longfellow and Phillips neighborhoods well (second in circulation numbers to only Washburn Community Library), although by the turn of the century, the building was beginning to show wear.[6]

In 1999,a plan called Outlook Twenty Ten outlined some options for the renewal of the library:

[edit] Option A

Option A called for a 6,000 square feet (557 m²) expansion to the building, which was to cost almost $3 million.

[edit] Option B

Option B outlined a 7,000 square feet (650 m²) expansion and the acquisition of neighboring properties. This was to allow greater creative flexibility in the designation of a new library building.[6] It was to cost almost $3 million.

[edit] Option C

Option C simply had the library repaired and slightly renovated. No cost was projected.

[edit] Third East Lake

The third incarnation of East Lake library
The third incarnation of East Lake library

None of Outlook Twenty Ten's original suggestions were followed, and on 30 Apr. 2005, the second East Lake was closed to make way for the third building.[4] The newest East Lake was modeled after Minneapolis's Central Library which at the time was also under construction. It featured a glass and metal exterior and was designed by KKE Architects.[1] It is the only green branch library in the system.[7]

The library opened on January 10, 2007. It includes a teen area, a small business/entrepreneurial knoll and fully automated checkout systems.[7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Hennepin County Library-East Lake. Hennepin County Library System (2007-02-20). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
  2. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
  3. ^ a b c d Benidt, Bruce Weir (1984). The Library Book. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center. ISBN 0-9613716-0-9. 
  4. ^ a b (2007). "1st East Lake Library". . Minneapolis Public Library Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  5. ^ Dyar, Mary (1974). Minneapolis Public Library Annual Report 1974. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center. 
  6. ^ a b c Ryan, Amy (1999). Outlook Twenty Ten. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Public Library. 
  7. ^ a b East Lake Library. Minneapolis Public Library (2007-01-19). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.