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Property Location
Property Features
The original funding for construction was provided by Andrew Carnegie ($50,000). He provided funding for public libraries in cities without proper library facilities across the country. The building was expanded in 1989 [B]. The museum today houses the extensive Hoy Bird Collection, mounted by Dr. Philo Hoy between 1847 and 1891. He was a [physician and naturalist] and an internationally known amateur ornithologist, as well as founder of the Wisconsin Academy of Arts and Letters. The Racine Public Library is currently located at 75 Seventh Street.
2016- "History is right at our doorstep. This prominent building is an original Carnegie Library, built with support from the Carnegie Foundation, intended for public and free access to learning and knowledge for all citizens. Hear the story of its transformation from a library to a museum."
-"41st Annual Tour of Historic Places: Southside Historic District", Preservation Racine News, Fall 2016, Volume 6. Prepared by Pippin Michelli (2016).
IT WAS DESIGNED BY JOHN LAURENCE MAUREN (1866-1933) OF ST. LOUIS. HIS DESIGN WAS DESIGNATED "THE LIBRARY BEAUTIFUL" BY THE WESTERN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION IN 1902. THE RACINE PUBLIC LIBRARY USED THE BUILDING UNTIL 1958. RACINE COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM MOVED INTO THE BUILDING IN 1963.
Resurveyed November 2009; appearance unchanged.
2009: "This 2-story Beaux Arts building was constructed in 1903 and is irregular in plan with alternating courses of brick and limestone throughout the masonry veneer on all sides. The front (west) elevation has a central projecting entry bay with a large rounded arch framing the doorway. The front door is capped by a pediment that is supported by two Ionic columns. Windows are 1-over-1 double-hung and single-pane casement. A decorative cornice with dentil motif runs the perimeter of the building just below the roofline."
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
Architecture & History Inventory
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112 S DICKASON BLVD (AKA 223 W JAMES ST)
3461
Located in Columbus, Columbia County
631 Cedar Street
74000061
Located in Wisconsin Dells, Columbia County
321 Main Street
07001330
Located in Black River Falls, Jackson County
