Downtown in Gary in Lake County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Gary Public Library
Photographed By Lou Donkle, July 30, 2022
1. Gary Public Library Marker
Gary Public Library (GPL) was organized on March 30, 1908 when its first library board met, and Ora L. Wildermuth, Gary Public Library's founder, moved "that we have a Public Library and that the Board proceed to arrange for the same." The motion carried and with it, GPL became official.
The first library director of GPL, Louis J. Bailey, started working out of a rented storeroom at 33 West 7th Avenue on September 1, 1908. After three months of organizing the library, Bailey opened it to the public on December 1, 1908. The library had a total of 936 volumes and 75 magazines in its collection. It remained at its 7th Avenue location until the summer of 1911, when it was moved to 620 Washington St. That move was just a temporary one because in the spring of 1910, GPL was awarded a substantial grant of $50,000 (later increased to $65,000) for the construction of a main library building from Andrew Carnegie, the former steel magnate turned public-library-philanthropist. Built on the northwest corner of Adams and 5th Avenue, the completed one-story library opened on November 17, 1912. Architecturally, it was built in the Classical Revival style. Constructed out of Bedford Stone, its southern entrance had a series of paired engaged columns supporting a massive entablature.
Constructed 1910
Demolished
this page online
Erected by Knight Foundation, Legacy Foundation, Decay Devils, Gary Indiana.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.
Location. 41° 36.268′ N, 87° 20.177′ W. Marker is in Gary, Indiana, in Lake County. It is in Downtown. Marker is at the intersection of East 4th Avenue (U.S. 12/20) and Broadway, on the right when traveling west on East 4th Avenue. The marker is in East Gateway Park mounted on the South Shore Line retaining wall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Broadway, Gary IN 46402, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. City Methodist Church (here, next to this marker); Emerson (a few steps from this marker); Memorial Auditorium (a few steps from this marker); Horace Mann (a few steps from this marker); Ambassador Apartments (a few steps from this marker); Jefferson Park Water Tower (within shouting distance of this marker); Gary Land Company Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Gary’s First Schoolhouse (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gary.
Photographed By Lou Donkle, July 30, 2022
2. Marker located across the street from City Hall and the Courthouse
Credits. This page was last revised on July 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2023, by Lou Donkle of Valparaiso, Indiana. This page has been viewed 88 times since then and 29 times this year. Last updated on July 7, 2023, by Lou Donkle of Valparaiso, Indiana. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 25, 2023, by Lou Donkle of Valparaiso, Indiana. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
