Carnegie Library
Description
The Carnegie Library is a single-storey building in the Art Deco style, which was built in 1914 and designated in 1988. It was renovated in 2011 with a sympathetic addition that respects the original design. The adjoining treed parkland was donated to the Town by Dr. Peter Grayson and is also protected by heritage designation. The building is currently known as the Carnegie Arts & Visitor Centre.
The Carnegie Library is the result of the generous support of American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919). As a young man in Scotland, Carnegie was forced to leave school to support his family,. Nonetheless, Carnegie valued education and believed that it should be free. He began giving away the bulk of his fortune in 1901, after selling his steel company to J. P. Morgan for $500 million and retired as the richest man in the world. In total, Carnegie donated $56 million to build 2,509 libraries throughout the world including 125 Carnegie libraries built in Canada.
In order to qualify for a Carnegie grant, communities had to provide land and set aside monies for the library’s operation. During the 1911 Municipal Election, Council conducted a plebiscite of public opinion regarding $800 for the purchase of a library site and an annual operating amount equal to 10% of construction costs. The vote was overwhelmingly in favour by a margin of 235 to 34. The Library Board contributed $2,000.Kingsville applied for and won a $5,000 Carnegie Library grant. Windsor architects Crane & Pennington designed the building. The Oxley Brothers were the contractors and craftsmen, while the Woodiwiss Brothers were masons for the project.
Key architectural features include:
Raised, cut-fieldstone foundation typical of Kingsville vernacular
Distinctive local Broadwell brick
Decorative brick headers with keystones
“Soldier courses” of brickwork (bricks laid vertically with long narrow sides exposed)
Flat roof with stepped parapet
Tall windows
Wide steps leading to a large doorway
Steps featured prominently in most Carnegie libraries, because Carnegie wanted to reinforce the idea that library visitors were elevating themselves through learning