Storm Lake in Buena Vista County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Storm Lake Public Library
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 30, 2021
1. Storm Lake Public Library Marker
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Education • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Carnegie Libraries, and the National Register of Historic Places series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is September 29, 1906.
Location. 42° 38.655′ N, 95° 11.961′ W. Marker is in Storm Lake, Iowa, in Buena Vista County. Marker is on East 5th Street just east of Erie Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker is mounted at eye-level, directly on the subject building, just to the right of the front/north entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 200 East 5th Street, Storm Lake IA 50588, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Harker House (approx. ¼ mile away); Hayes Memorial Field (approx. 0.7 miles away); In Memory of John Platt (approx. 12.9 miles away).
Regarding Storm Lake Public Library. National Register of Historic Places #83000346.
From the National Register Nomination:
TheStorm Lake Public Library is unique among the Iowa libraries for its air of festive informality, a quality perhaps not inappropriate for a small resort town. The exterior is playfully composed of three polygonal Italianate towers, a gabled medieval entrance porch and a high hipped roof. The two-story corner tower, its peaked gazebo-like roof crowned with an enormous finial, dominates the composition and serves to balance the front against the side. The final note of resolution is provided by the hipped roof — the eaves of which are cut away in the center and descend very low toward the edges. A new library was completed in 1972, after which the building served as a museum for the Buena Vista County historical society.
Click or scan to see
this page onlineThis is one of 22 public libraries in Iowa constructed with Carnegie grants made in 1903, the year which marks the highest point in Carnegie giving, both nationally and in the state. Andrew Carnegie's library program, which funded over 1600 buildings, 101 in Iowa, between 1889 and 1919, has been accorded recognition by historians of the Progressive Era and of the public library movement. The 22 Iowa Carnegie Libraries serve as illustrations of the widespread popularity and impact of the Carnegie program in Iowa's public library development.
Also see . . .
1. Storm Lake Public Library (Wikipedia).
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 30, 2021
2. Storm Lake Public Library Marker
Marker is mounted on the right side of the front entrance.
The Carnegie Corporation of New York accepted Storm Lake's application for a grant for $10,000 on December 4, 1903. Designed by Paul O. Moratz, the new library was dedicated on September 29, 1906. After its use as a library, the building housed the museum for the Buena Vista County Historical Society.(Submitted on January 4, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Origins of Santa's Castle (by Gordon Linge). Excerpts:
Storm Lake’s "busy sidewalks" during the "Golden Years of Downtown's Main Street's Christmas Season" was always a place one had a good chance of running into Santa Claus. My earliest memory of meeting Santa took place in Strickler-Spooner’s Five and Dime on the east side of Lake Avenue in the 500 block. Santa was in the store’s cramped office up a short flight of steps at the back of the store. A few years later, Santa would set up his reception area in either a vacant store or in a small shed temporarily parked near the Bank Corner. Known as "Santa’s Workshop," a tree with a Lionel train encircling its base enhanced the annual experience. In 1972, the Carnegie Library building became available and businessman, John Dvergsten christened it Santa's Castle due to its distinctive(Submitted on January 4, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)architectural features. There was no longer any doubt, Santa was real and he lived in Storm Lake!Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 30, 20213. Storm Lake Public Library (northeast elevation)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 30, 2021
4. Storm Lake Public Library (northwest elevation)
With COVID-era lockdown sign posted out front.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 30, 2021
5. Storm Lake Public Library (north/front elevation)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 4, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 50 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 4, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
