Xenia Carnegie Library - Xenia, Ohio

 Xenia Carnegie Library, Xenia, Ohio. The library movement in Xenia truly began when eight women who were graduates of Xenia College formed the Tuesday Club on August 20, 1878. The intentions of the club were for members to prepare literary papers and discuss literature, activities that would require access to a library. By 1902, the Young Women’s Library Association had learned about Carnegie’s library building program and decided to apply for a grant. Louisa Lackey and Diana Roberts donated a 200 x 165 foot lot, part of their estate, for the site of the library building. That same year, James Bertram, private secretary to Andrew Carnegie, in a handwritten note, granted the organization $20,000 for a library building. The architect William Kauffman, the nephew of Louisa Lackey and Diana Roberts donated his services in the design of the library. The foundation work on the library began in the fall of 1903, with construction continuing through the following spring. On July 22, 1904, the cornerstone of the library was laid. Construction of the building was completed in 1904, and in June 1905, the ladies requested and were granted an additional $3,500 for library furnishings. The Xenia Carnegie Library’s official public opening occurred on June 26, 1906. The Carnegie building was closed to the public in 1978, when the newer, larger facility opened. There are now plans in turning the old library into a restaurant. The Xenia Carnegie Library is one of 104 Carnegie libraries that were built in Ohio. Architectural Style-Classical Revival. Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on February 25, 2015. GPS: 39.68781°N, -83.92639°W.