Anadarko Community Library

Anadarko Community Library. "Ca. 1902". The present location of the Anadarko Community Library was previously an auto garage then car dealership that was built in 1902 and remodeled in 1916. In 1925, it became an Auto Electric and Battery Shop. , In the mid 1980's, the library board began, in earnest, to locate another site for the library that would be large enough and would be accessible to all the citizens. In 1987, the city council allowed the board to hire an architect, and apply for a grant to help fund the library. Various locations were considered and, with the help of the architect, who specialized in renovating historical buildings, the vacant, sixty year old building that had been the Roy Hall Chevrolet Dealership, was chosen. In less than a year $604,016 was raised, exceeding the original goal of $500,000. A venture that seemed almost impossible became a reality with the backing and support of the entire community. , Memorials and donations came from individuals, families, and businesses. School children held fund-raisers, and local and area civic clubs donated. The trust sought and was awarded numerous grants from foundations. Hollytex Carpet Mill and its employees donated the Community Room, which was dedicated to long-time employee Marvin Elrod. The children's section was donated by the Paul Allen Foundation in honor of his mother, Faye Gardner Allen, who as a high school student worked at the library. There were some who doubted an auto garage could be made into a library, but Mr. Beck, working with the library board, turned the old building into a beautiful, spacious, inviting place, retaining the feeling of the "old" while adding the functionality of the new. Wide-open spaces, lots of natural lighting, warm colors, and climate control make it a very pleasant place to be. Of particular interest is the children's "reading pit" which was once the grease pit of the garage. , On completion of the facility, books were moved the two blocks from the Masonic Temple using the "Book Brigade," hundreds of people forming a hand-to-hand assembly line into the library doors and onto the waiting shelves. The Anadarko Community Library was formally opened in September, 1990. Since that time, the library has become fully automated and offers computers for use by adults and children. From the letter to the newspaper announcing the Open House Cerebration in 1990, comes this quote, "We can all take pride, not only in the beauty and spaciousness of the building, but in the fact that community effort made it possible. Hundreds of people contributed in whatever measure they could because they believe in Anadarko and its future. The result is a truly wonderful facility that we believe is unmatched in any other community of our size."