Carnegie Library of Washington D.C.

The Carnegie Library of Washington D.C., also known as Central Public Library, now known as the Apple Carnegie Library, is situated in Mount Vernon Square, Washington, D.C.. Donated to the public by entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie, it was dedicated on January 7, 1903. It was designed by the New York firm of Ackerman & Ross in the style of Beaux-Arts architecture.

This article is about the building in Mount Vernon Square. For other Carnegie libraries, see List of Carnegie libraries in Washington, D.C.
Central Public Library
Carnegie Library building, located at Mount Vernon Square, houses the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
LocationMount Vernon Sq., 8th and K Streets, NW.
Washington, D.C.
Coordinates38°54′9.36″N 77°1′22.44″W
Area2.74 acres (1.11 ha)
Built1901-03
ArchitectAckerman & Ross
Architectural styleBeaux-Arts architecture
NRHP reference No.69000290[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 3, 1969

It was the first Carnegie library in Washington, D.C. and D.C.'s first desegregated public building.[2]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as "Central Public Library", in 1969.[1][3]

It was used as the central public library for Washington, D.C. for almost 70 years before it became overcrowded. The central library was then moved to Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. After being shut down for ten years, it was renovated as part of University of the District of Columbia.[4]

In 1999, it became the headquarters for the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.[5] The City Museum of Washington opened in the library in May 2003, but closed less than two years later.[6]

In 2014, Events DC twice sought to move the International Spy Museum into the library, but failed to win historic preservation approval.[7]

In September 2016, Apple Inc. proposed renovating the library into D.C.'s second Apple Store location.[2] In December 2016, Events DC announced an agreement with the company for conversion of the space into a new store designed by Foster and Partners.[8][9] The building was renamed the Apple Carnegie Library, and the Apple Store within opened on May 11, 2019.[10] Apple hosts free daily sessions focused on photography, filmmaking, music creation, coding, design and more. On October 9, 2019[11] the first episode of Oprah's Book Club, a television series produced by Apple, was filmed with a live audience in the Library. The episode premiered on November 1 of the same year.[12]

The building also now houses the DC History Center on the second floor, and the Carnegie Gallery (featuring historic photographs and documents about the origins and history of the building) in the basement.[13][14]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. O'Connell, Jonathan (September 21, 2016). "Apple targets historic Carnegie Library for downtown flagship store". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  3. Taylor, Nancy C. (April 30, 1969). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Central Public Library, District of Columbia / Carnegie Library". National Park Service. Retrieved November 13, 2016. with two photos from 1969
  4. Valente, Judith (December 11, 1980). "UDC Opens $4.2 Million Library, But Its Campus Not Likely to Be Built". The Washington Post.
  5. "Carnegie Library". Historical Society of Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  6. Trescott, Jacqueline (October 9, 2004). "City Museum to Close Its Galleries". The Washington Post. p. A1.
  7. O'Connell, Jonathan (October 7, 2014). "Deal to move Spy Museum to Carnegie Building falls apart". The Washington Post. Washington, DC. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  8. Goff, Karen (December 6, 2016). "Exclusive: Apple agrees to open flagship store at Carnegie Library". Washington Business Journal.
  9. Johnson, Sara (July 28, 2017). "Apple Retail Store, Carnegie Library". Architect Magazine: The Journal of the American Institute of Architects. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  10. Steeber, Michael (May 9, 2019). "Apple Carnegie Library: An inside look at Apple's most ambitious store yet". 9to5Mac. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  11. "Anyone go to Oprah's book club taping yesterday?". www.dcurbanmom.com. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
  12. "Oprah's Book Club starts a new chapter with Apple". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
  13. "Press Release: Apple Carnegie Library opens Saturday in Washington, D.C." Apple Inc. May 9, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  14. Kelly, John (May 12, 2019). "Back to the past: Panoramic photos come alive at the new DC History Center". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
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