Pocatello in Bannock County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)
Pocatello Carnegie Library
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024
1. Pocatello Carnegie 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. In addition, it is included in the Carnegie Libraries, and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.
Location. 42° 51.636′ N, 112° 27.164′ W. Marker is in Pocatello, Idaho, in Bannock County. It is at the intersection of South Garfield Avenue and Center Street, on the left when traveling north on South Garfield Avenue. The marker is mounted above eye-level, directly on the subject building, on the right side of the northeast entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 113 South Garfield Avenue, Pocatello ID 83204, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Idaho’s Bear River Country. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At
this page online
Regarding Pocatello Carnegie Library. National Register of Historic Places #73000679.
From the National Register Nomination prepared by Arthur A. Hart, Director, Idaho State Historical Museum, 5/23/1973:The Pocatello Carnegie Library is now a part of the newer, modern Marshall Public Library an atrium on the south side of the original structure connects the two buildings.
Pocatello, Idaho's 1907 Carnegie Library combines small size with classical simplicity of form. It resembles a small Palladian villa with its cruciform plan, raised basement, and pedimented gable endings. The material is beige pressed brick with light sandstone trim. The hipped roof rises slightly above the gabled cross arms. Paired brick pilasters flank the arched entryway, as wellas the large rectangular windows in the other facades. The raised basement is only two feet below the sidewalk level, giving the building an imposing height for a two-story structure; this is also because the main reading and stack areas of the library had fourteen-foot ceilings. Pilasters are topped with stone triglyphs in the narrow frieze.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 20242. Pocatello Carnegie Library MarkerThe marker is mounted on the right side of the northeast entrance. This was originally the main front library entrance when the building was constructed in 1907.
From the National Register Nomination: On the entry facade the words "Public Library" in appropriate Roman letters identify the buildings original function.The 1907 Carnegie Library in Pocatello was the small railroad town's first piece of classically inspired architecture. Its Palladian forms are in striking contrast with the generally medieval revival styles used in the rest of the early masonry buildings which succeeded wooden shacks and primitive frame structures.
Also see . . .
1. The Carnegie Library (Historic Downtown Pocatello). Excerpt:
Built with a $12,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie (Pittsburgh, PA steel magnate and philanthropist), this was Pocatello's first library and an outstanding example of Palladian Villa architecture. The cornerstone was laid on October(Submitted on August 2, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)16, 1907 and contains a letter from Carnegie, names of the mayor and city council members, coins of 1907, and copies of three local newspapers. A modern addition built in 1993 allows the historic library to continue to serve the community.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 20243. Pocatello Carnegie Library (east elevation)
2. Pocatello Carnegie Library (Wikipedia). Excerpt:
The Pocatello Carnegie Library is a historic building in Pocatello, Idaho. It was built as a Carnegie library in 1907, and designed in the Palladian architectural style. The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since July 2, 1973.(Submitted on August 2, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Carnegie library (Wikipedia). Excerpt:
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. A total of 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929. 1,689 were built in the United States. At first, Carnegie libraries were almost exclusively in places with which he had a personal connection namely his birthplace in Scotland and(Submitted on August 2, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, his adopted hometown. Later, Carnegie substantially increased funding to libraries outside these areas. As Carnegie's library funding progressed, very few of the towns that requested a grant, committing to his terms for operation and maintenance, were refused.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 20244. Pocatello Carnegie Library (north elevation)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024
5. Pocatello Carnegie Library (northeast elevation)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 250 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 2, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
