The Carnegie Library Center is the cultural and educational center of the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in Atlantic City, New Jersey located at Pacific Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard one block west of the Boardwalk.
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The Atlantic City Free Public Library was founded in 1903 with overwhelming support of the community who voted (6062 for to 30 against) to create it.[1] The construction of the public library building, one New Jersey's original thirty-six Carnegie libraries, was made possible with a grant of $71,075 made January 22, 1903 by Andrew Carnegie through the Carnegie Corporation,[2][3] Work on a $50,000 contract begin in September 1903[4] and was completed in 1904.[5] It is the work of architect Albert Randolph Ross who also designed the library that is now houses the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. and the Orange Public Library[6] With the words "Open to All" engraved above it's main entrance, the building was dedicated on January 2, 1905. Carnegie wrote “I trust the Library will fulfill its mission in the highest degree, becoming the center of light to all people.”[1] Ross, who as young architect particpated in the design of Boston Public Library, using a symmetrical classical classical style design include central stacks open to the public, natural light in public areas, separate public spaces with specialized materials (rather then one large reading room). The building had art gallery, museum, and meeting rooms to promote education through different media as well as books.
While the building saw some improvements and minor renovations, the exterior remained intact and the interior was only slighty altered. The three-story, 9,000 square foot structure features amarble, granite, terra cotta exterior, terrazzo floors, Scagliola-finished columns, and marble and iron staircases.[1] It was used by the Atlantic City Public Library until 1985, [7] which relocated larger building at Tennessee and Atlantic Avenues. The groundbreaking for the new main library took place on January 28, 1982 and it was dedicated on July 31, 1985.[8] The Carnegie Library, in limbo, was used by miscellaneous municpal offices until finally abandoned in 1994. The building stood vacant for nearly seven years.[9]
The collaborative efforts of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), the City of Atlantic City, and The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey enabled the preservation and renovation of the historic building.[9] Starting in 2001, the building underwent more than $5 million dollars in renovations.While the main campus of the college is located in nearby Pomona, the school maintains a presence in Atlantic City where it had its beginnings at the Mayflower Hotel, and the center is Stockton’s gateway to Atlantic City and is representative of the college's commitment to civic engagement.[10] The nearby Dante Hall Theater of the Arts in Ducktown is also affliliated with the university.[11]
As well as offering undergraduate and graduate courses and continuing education and professional development programs the center provides space as meeting and conference center and for community outreach. It also houses the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) of Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties, and the Management Development and Professional Services office. There is 75-seat lecture hall, multi-purpose room seating forty,, state-of-the-art computer laboratory, a 15-seat executive conference room, and three seminar rooms. each with 25 person capacity.[12] It is equipped the modern communications technology, including wall-mounted displays, high-speed wireless Internet access, document cameras and VCR’s.
The Civil Rights Garden, a tribute to Civil Rights Movement, is adjacent to the Carnegie, which supports accompanying lectures, receptions, and other events that take place there.[1]