A steel tycoon’s gift of knowledge and beauty
Lecture celebrates legacy of region’s eight Carnegie libraries
WATERLOO REGION — They stand in sombre grandeur in the heart of their communities, often among the most imposing buildings in town.
The Carnegie libraries, with their solid stone or brick facades, lightfilled reading rooms and imposing central staircases, were the brainchild of Scottish-American steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie, who in the late 1800s and early 1900s donated millions of dollars to build more than 2,500 public libraries around the world.
He helped build 125 such libraries in Canada, and Waterloo Region benefited hugely from that largesse, with eight libraries, built between 1903 and 1923. Only Toronto has more.
Carnegie’s remarkable gift, and the legacy it has left in Waterloo Region, is the subject of a free lecture on Nov. 8 sponsored by the Waterloo North branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario.
The self-made Carnegie, who started working at age 13 as a bobbin boy in a cotton mill, went on to become one of the wealthiest men of his time. Throughout his life, he believed that access to books and the chance to educate themselves could allow anyone to make a success of their life. To that end, he began funding the thousands of libraries that bear his name.
“He had assembled a ton of money by the time he retired,” said Erin Smith, a heritage planner who is giving the talk. “He wanted to give those funds to people who would use them to better themselves.
“He thought a library was the best gift, because it would help create self-educated citizens and a more resilient society,” Smith said.
Previously, most of the libraries in Canada were private collections in homes or businesses, or mechanics’ institutes, where lenders had to pay an annual fee.
“We owe a lot to that philanthropy,” said Susan Burke, who organized the talk for the conservancy. Those first libraries “had quite a presence on the street. They’re an iconic part of community life, and they’re part of the story of the community.”
The libraries were built to last, with features drawn from classical Greek and Roman architecture: grand staircases leading to an imposing front entrance, columns, triangular pediments reminiscent of the Parthenon.
The libraries were expressions of the community’s faith in itself as a thriving, prospering community, Smith says, and were a symbol of solidity and permanence.
The most impressive in the region was the 1904 Berlin library at Queen and Weber streets, built with a grant of almost $41,000 — equivalent to about $1.2 million today. It was torn down in 1963, soon after the 1962 opening of a new main branch a block away.
Three — in Hespeler, New Hamburg and Elmira — still operate as public libraries. The other four, in Preston, Galt, Ayr and Waterloo, have been converted to office space.
The conservancy will host a second talk this winter by architect Philip Carter about the creative ways Carnegie libraries have been altered. In the spring, the conservancy will host a bus tour of Carnegie libraries.
The free talk runs 7-9 p.m.; tickets are available at Eventbrite.