HISTORY OF
THE CARNEGIE CENTER
The Carnegie Public Library building, now known as the Carnegie Center, is one of thousands of public library buildings throughout the United States, funded by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in the early 1900’s. The Phoenix Public Library first opened in the late 1800’s in the Fleming Building at Washington and First Avenue and later moved to City Hall. After construction, the Carnegie Library building then served as the Phoenix Public Library from 1908 until 1953.
After 1953, the building was used as a recreation hall, social service center, storage facility, and a transition place for the homeless. The building was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1974, and in 1985 the State began leasing it from the city of Phoenix. Major restoration then took place at a cost of $1.3 million, and the building reopened in early 1987 as the Arizona Hall of Fame Museum. In 2001 the building was closed due to ceiling safety concerns, reopening in 2003. The Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records then used the building as a library reference center and for museum exhibit, storage and office space until late 2005.
Today, the Carnegie Center is home to Library Development Division staff of the Arizona State Library and is a multi-use facility, with programs and services continuing to evolve. As of 2007, the Center offers:
- Professional development workshops for Arizona Librarians offered by the Library Development Division.
- Meeting space for state agencies and non-profit organizations.
- Programs of the Arizona Center for the Book promoting books, reading, literacy, and libraries at the state and local level, including ONEBOOKAZ, the Arizona Reading Program, and Building a New Generation of Readers.
- The Arizona Women's Hall of Fame, paying tribute to the diverse women who have helped shape the state's history.
Updated: 05/29/2007
