Waterloo Public Library-East Side Branch

Waterloo Public Library-East Side Branch
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	626 Mulberry St. Waterloo, Iowa
Coordinates	42°29′57″N 92°20′0.3″W / 42.49917°N 92.333417°W / 42.49917; -92.333417Coordinates: 42°29′57″N 92°20′0.3″W / 42.49917°N 92.333417°W / 42.49917; -92.333417
Area	less than one acre
Built	1905
Architect	John G. Ralston
Architectural style	Classical Revival
MPS	Waterloo MPS
NRHP Reference #	88001323[1]
Added to NRHP	November 29, 1988

The Waterloo Public Library-East Side Branch is a historic building located in Waterloo, Iowa, United States. The public library was established here in 1896.^[2] It operated out of two rented rooms, one on the east side of the Cedar River and other on the west side. The Carnegie Foundation offered a grant of $30,000 to build a new library, but disagreements erupted over whether to place the building on the east side or west side of the river.^[3] They then agreed to grant $40,000 for a mid-river building, or the same amount for two buildings. In the end they agreed to grant the community $24,000 to build this building and a similar amount for the west side branch.^[4] Waterloo architect John G. Ralston designed both buildings in the Neoclassical style. Both were dedicated on February 23, 1906. The single-story Bedford stone structure was built over a raised basement. It is one of the few stone buildings in Waterloo.^[3] The building has a central portico with paired Ionic columns. It is part of a larger central mass that is oriented from front to back and sits across the lower hipped roof.

In 1977 voters in Waterloo approved a $3,650,000 bond referendum to renovate the city's 1938 post office and federal building to house the library.^[2] The post office vacated the building in 1979 when it relocated. The old library building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.^[1] The building is now used by the city of Waterloo.

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