Walker Community Library
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Walker Branch Library | |
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The old library building on the east side of Hennepin Avenue | |
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| Location | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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| Coordinates | 44°56′59″N 93°17′52″W / 44.94972°N 93.29778°WCoordinates: 44°56′59″N 93°17′52″W / 44.94972°N 93.29778°W |
| Built | 1911 |
| Architect | Jackson, Jerome Paul; Elliott, J. & W.A. |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Governing body | Private |
| NRHP Reference # |
00000544 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 26, 2000 |
The Walker Branch Library is a branch of the Hennepin County Library system in the East Isles neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is located on Hennepin Avenue one block north of Lake Street, adjoining the Midtown Greenway.
Original 1911 building
The original building was built in 1911, when the Hennepin/Lake area was sparsely populated. T. B. Walker, the president of the library board at the time, donated some land for the site of the library. The opening of this library coincided with the opening of a streetcar line on Lake Street, and it helped fulfill head librarian Gratia Countryman's wishes to expand the library system and bring books closer to people. Local architect Jerome Paul Jackson designed the library in a Classical Revival design. The portico, with Ionic columns, shows Beaux-Arts characteristics.[2]
1981 building
In 1981, the growth of the library required a new building, which was built just across the street at 2880 Hennepin Avenue South. The two main floors of the building were underground. There was a large "LIBRARY" sign on Hennepin Avenue with an entry pavilion to indicate the presence of the library.[3] Although the library was built underground to conserve space and save energy,[4] the underground building was not very visible, and had problems with water seepage. By 2006, proposals were being considered to replace the library with something that would be more visible.[3]
2014 building
The 1981 building closed on September 22, 2012; it was torn down by Carl Bolander and Sons and replaced with a new building by Shaw-Lundquist and Associates that will open in 2014.[5][6]
References
- ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
- ↑ "Old Walker Branch Library". Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission. February 2007. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Millett, Larry (2007). AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul. p. 255.
- ↑ "Hennepin County Library: Walker". Hennepin County Library. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- ↑ "Walker Library closes 9/22 for rebuild". OurUptown.com. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ↑ "Hennepin County Library: Walker Library closed on September 22". Twin Cities Daily Planet. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
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