Ottawa Public Library
120 Metcalfe Street
Written by Bytown Museum
on
03/Dec/2009
Frustrated by city council's refusal to fund Ottawa's first public library, the Local Council of Women wrote to American philanthropist and library enthusiast Andrew Carnegie in 1901. In response, Carnegie offered $100,000 if the city would contribute $7,500 annually for the library's maintenance.
The new library opened in 1906, with Carnegie in attendance. As he entered the building, he didn't notice the name chiseled on the facade, “Ottawa Public Library.” It should have read “The Carnegie Library.” The indiscretion was covered with a well-placed Union Flag.
The building was torn down in the early 1970s to make way for a larger main branch, which officially opened in 1974. Library users may have noticed the stained glass inside the building, which came from the original Carnegie library.
Did you know that Andrew Carnegie funded the establishment of over 3,000 libraries in the United States, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies and Fiji?
