Carnegie Library

Link to PowerPoint Presentation (Site Plan Included)

History

In 1910, local Manitou Springs physician H.M. Ogilbee convinced the Andrew Carnegie Foundation to donate $6,000 for a library. The City participated by purchasing properties at the current site and removing six previous buildings. Ground was broken in 1910. The classical Italian Renaissance library, designed by architect Thomas McLaren, was opened February 22, 1911. The population of Manitou Springs at the time was less than 1400.

Manitou Springs’ first library was established in 1900, in the Parish House of the St. Andrews Episcopal Church. The Reverend E.C. Bonell, Rector of the church, organized a club of 12 women, including several from each church in the town of Manitou Springs.

This club established the library in the church. Having no money to buy books, they asked for donations of books or money. After they had received three to four hundred books, they opened the library, and the women of the group took turns in keeping it running. The library was aptly named a Reading Room, for many people spent hours there in the little Parish House.

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Current History Timeline

• 2002: Friends of the Manitou Springs Library was formed for the express purpose  of fundraising for and facilitating the restoration and expansion of the Library.
• January 1, 2013: after a year of negotiation with the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) and vote by the people of Manitou Springs, the Manitou Springs Carnegie Library joined the PPLD and became one of three Carnegie libraries in the District.
• November 2019: the citizens of Manitou Springs voted Yes on the Manitou Arts, Culture and Heritage (MACH) ballot, a measure that will raise funds from a percentage of sales tax dollars for the Library as well as other historic, arts and cultural assets in Manitou.
• 2020: A task force called the Preserve and Renew Our Carnegie Library Task Force, was formed in the Summer of 2020. The mission: 

Our mission is to keep the Manitou Springs Carnegie Library a center of knowledge and life-long learning for all, as it has for generations, and serve as a space for community connections for the next 100 years. To realize this mission requires a renovation and expansion of the Library, including complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), to meet the expectations of our 21st Century community. We have formed this group to ensure City leaders will take responsibility of and offer support for the physical needs of this building as outlined in the original agreement with Andrew Carnegie.

Our group will take on the responsibility of organizing a capital campaign, supporting the City’s efforts in securing funding through grants and donations, and working with City staff during this renovation and expansion project. We want this relevant symbol of Manitou Springs past, present and future to still be in operation so all individuals have a place to learn and enrich their lives.

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