Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Marker

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Cincinnati in Hamilton County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

By William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009

1. Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Marker (Side A)

Inscription.
Side A:
Among the first in America, Cincinnati's public library dates from March 14, 1853. A public reading room opened in 1856, but funding remained a problem until 1867, when local school board president Rufus King II secured legislation for a renamed Cincinnati Public Library. In 1869, King lured leading librarian William Frederick Poole to organize Cincinnati as a national model for the growing public library movement. Poole designed 19th century America's most advanced library at 629 Vine Street, which fully opened in 1874. Becoming a countywide system in 1898, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County was a pioneer in the 20th century with special services for the blind and for children, bookmobile services, and circulation of audiovisual materials.
(Continued on other side)

Side B:
(Continued from other side)
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County's new Main Library that opened in 1955 at the corner of Eighth and Vine was post-war America's first major central public library. It was dedicated as a memorial to the servicemen and women from Hamilton County killed while in the Armed Forces. Its boldly modern "International Style" exterior was the work of local architect Woodie Garber, and its consumer-oriented "department store of knowledge" layout was the creation of Librarian

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Marker (Side B) Photo, Click for full size

By William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009

2. Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Marker (Side B)

Carl Vitz. The 1955 "New Main" garnered national attention and architectural praise for its sidewalk "store" entrance, generous use of glass, bright colors, rooftop terraces, and serpentine brick garden wall. Additions in 1982 and 1997 quadrupled the size of the Main Library.

Erected 2003 by Library Gift Trust Fund and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 51-31.)

Location. 39° 6.298′ N, 84° 30.826′ W. Marker is in Cincinnati, Ohio, in Hamilton County. Marker is at the intersection of Vine Street and 9th Street (U.S. 22), on the right when traveling north on Vine Street. Click for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 800 Vine Street, Cincinnati OH 45202, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Piatt Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Fuldner Mortuary (about 400 feet away, in a direct line); Wiltsee Undertaker (about 400 feet away); Elizabeth Blackwell (about 500 feet away); Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise and the Plum Street Temple (approx. 0.3 miles away); Cincinnati Riots of 1884 / Sheriff Morton Lytle Hawkins (approx. 0.3 miles away); Procter & Gamble (approx. 0.4 miles away); Woodward High School / School for Creative and Performing Arts (approx. 0.4 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Cincinnati.