Calhoun Isles in Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

2901 Hennepin Avenue: Walker Branch Library

The Museum in the Streets: Minneapolis, Minnesota

— Uptown: Minneapolis' Lake District —

2901 Hennepin Avenue: Walker Branch Library Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By McGhiever, October 17, 2023

1. 2901 Hennepin Avenue: Walker Branch Library Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

When the Walker Branch of the Minneapolis Public Library opened in 1911, the Hennepin and Lake area was still sparsely developed. T.B. Walker, founder and longtime president of the Library Board, donated the property near the crossroads of two streetcar systems, ensuring its popularity. Both Walker and Chief Librarian Gratia Countryman sought to increase the public's access to books, and they developed branch libraries to further this vision. Minneapolis architect Jerome Paul Jackson employed a Neoclassical style, designing a masterful entrance portico framed by Ionic sandstone columns. Its proximity to the growing neighborhood and several schools made the library a popular spot. A new, larger library was proposed in 1967, completed across Hennepin Avenue in 1981. In 2000 the original Walker Branch Library was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Cuando la sede Walker Branch de Minneapolis Public Library abrió en 1911, Hennepin y Lake era una zona escasamente poblada. T.B. Walker, fundador y presidente de la Library Board, donó la propiedad cerca de la intersección de dos sistemas

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

de tranvía, asegurando su popularidad. Walker y la bibliotecaria principal Gratia Countryman procuraron mejorar el acceso público a los libros, creando sedes de bibliotecas para promover esta visión. Arquitecto Jerome Paul Jackson de Minneapolis usó un estilo Neoclásico, diseñando el pórtico de entrada enmarcado por columnas jónicas de piedra arenisca. Su proximidad al creciente barrio y varias escuelas la convirtió en un lugar popular. Se propuso una biblioteca más nueva y grande en 1967, completada al cruzar Hennepin Avenue en 1981. En 2000 el Walker Branch Library original fue registrado en el National Register of Historic Places.

Story hour on a typical Saturday.
Hora de cuentos en un domingo típico.

Erected by The Museum in the Streets®. (Marker Number 16.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places, and the The Museum in the Streets®: Minneapolis, Minnesota series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1911.

Location. 44° 56.991′ N, 93° 17.905′ W. Marker is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Hennepin County. It is in Calhoun Isles. Marker is on Hennepin Avenue north of Lagoon Avenue, on the right

Marker facing the original Walker Branch Library image. Click for full size.

Photographed By McGhiever, April 10, 2020

2. Marker facing the original Walker Branch Library

when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2880 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis MN 55408, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 2900 Hennepin Avenue: The Uptown Theater (within shouting distance of this marker); Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street/Uptown (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Railroad and the City (about 500 feet away); 2924 Hennepin Avenue: Abdallah's (about 600 feet away); 1450 West Lake Street: Hove's/Lunds (about 700 feet away); 3022 Hennepin Avenue: The Granada Theater (about 700 feet away); Building the Corridor (approx. 0.3 miles away); 925 West Lake Street: The Minneapolis Mercantile Company (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Minneapolis.

Regarding 2901 Hennepin Avenue: Walker Branch Library. From the National Register Registration Form:

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The Walker Branch of the Minneapolis Public Library, built in I911, is eligible for the National Register under Criterion A (significance to the broad patterns of our history) in the areas of Education and Social History, and under Criterion B (significant person) for its association with Gratia Alta Countryman, chief of the Minneapolis Library (MPL) from 1904-1936. The Walker Branch is important

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

as one of 14 public library branch buildings that were built and acquired in Minneapolis during the years 1894-1936, and as one of 10 of those buildings which are still standing. The building is associated with the extensive outreach program of the Minneapolis Public Library, a well-orchestrated set of services that had a significant impact on the educational and cultural development of the city and its neighborhoods. The building is one of nine extant branch library buildings in Minneapolis that comprise the standing structures that are most closely associated with the career of Gratia Alta Countryman, longtime head of the Minneapolis Public Library and a leading figure in the development of the public library movement nationwide. The Walker Branch is significant within the statewide historic context entitled "Urban Centers, 1870-1940," and within the "Civic" historic context established by the City of Minneapolis' Heritage Preservation Commission.

Also see . . .
1. Walker Library on Wikipedia. (Submitted on October 22, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.)
2. Walker Branch Library National Register Registration Form. (Submitted on October 30, 2023, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 22, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 63 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 22, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.