Dickinson Branch — Denver Public Library

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2024

1. Dickinson Branch — Denver Public Library Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Drew Massey and Tracy Lee Hartmann, 8/29/2001:
The 1914 Dickinson Branch Library building is significant for its association with the nationwide public library movement sponsored and funded by grants from Andrew Carnegie's philanthropic foundation. The building is significant in the area of community planning and development for its association

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2024

2. Dickinson Branch — Denver Public Library

The marker is mounted on the right side of the east/front entrance.

with the City of Denver's efforts to create a system of branch public libraries. The Dickinson Branch Library is also an important example of the work of Denver architect Maurice Biscoe.
Carnegie's self-proclaimed “wholesale” period of library philanthropy lasted from 1898 to 1919. During this later period, grants totaling just over $39 million went to 1,406 communities across the nation. Carnegie changed his philosophy on library construction during this period. While he recognized the value of multi-functional facilities and of the large number of patrons which could be served by a main, big city library, after 1898, Carnegie funded primarily branch and small town libraries. All of the Colorado Carnegie libraries received their grants during the "wholesale period." A total of nearly three-quarters of a million dollars went to construct 35 library buildings in 27 communities. Denver successfully obtained two $80,000 grants to construct eight branch libraries. The first four of these branches, including the Dickinson, opened prior to World War I.
The Dickinson Branch was the smallest of the eight Denver Carnegie branch libraries. The

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2024

3. Dickinson Branch — Denver Public Library
(northeast elevation)

library was completed at a price of $16,000 which included construction, decoration and furnishings. Each of the libraries was named for a pioneer in Denver's history. Charles E. Dickinson gained prominence as an investment banker in the late 1880s through the 1910s and he was also one of the initial members of the Denver Library Commission. The Dickinson opened in 1914 with approximately 7,000 books in its adult and children's collection.
The city closed the Dickinson Branch Library on March 1, 1954, due to its high operating costs. Following the closing, the city sold the building to the Star of Denver organization Odd Fellows Lodge № 112. The Odd Fellows used the building as a meeting hall and rental facility. The building was sold to Michael Lombardi of Michael Lombardi Architect in the late 1960's. He owned the building for about 30 years and used it to house his architectural office. In 1999 the building was then sold to a developer who planned to split the property into a six-to-eight-unit residential condominium complex. The building was purchased in May 2001 by Drew Massey.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2024

4. Dickinson Branch — Denver Public Library
(north elevation)

Excerpt:  It has also been known as the Charles E. Dickinson Branch Library, as the Carnegie Dickinson Library, and as the West Denver Branch Library. It was designed by architect Maurice Biscoe in Italian Renaissance Revival style. Above a raised concrete basement, it is built of brick covered by white concrete stucco. It was originally light ivory in color with a sage green base. It has a hipped roof of red Spanish tile with broad overhanging eaves supported by wooden brackets, and a broad cornice.
The library included mural work by Allen Tupper True, "Colorado's most prolific mural painter", and relief sculpture by Denver artist and sculptor Dudley Carpenter. The murals and relief sculptures were removed from the building after the library was closed, and, as of 2001, their locations were unknown.
It was one of four Carnegie libraries funded by an $80,000 grant in 1912, which were all opened in 1913 "to much fanfare", three years after the main Denver Public Library was opened in 1910. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2024

5. Dickinson Branch — Denver Public Library
(cornerstone)

Excerpt:  Designed by architect Maurice Biscoe, it was ornamented with Allen True murals and beautiful arched windows, and was much beloved in its community. It was first called the “West Denver Branch,” and was noted for its Hebrew and Yiddish collections.
After teenaged vandals burglarized and set fire to the Dickinson Branch and Lake Junior High in May of 1953, City Librarian John Eastlick weighed the cost of repairs combined with the diminishing use of the facility, and the branch was closed on March 1, 1954. In 2003, the building had been renovated and was on the market as a high-end loft residence.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2024

6. Dickinson Branch — Denver Public Library (east/front elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:  The facade (east elevation) is symmetrical in design. Wide concrete podia flank the concrete steps and landing lead to the centrally located entrance. Pilasters with Ionic capitals divide the elevation into three bays and corner pilasters of identical design frame the elevation. Each bay is further defined by a semicircular arch. The central bay contains the main library entry. A carved oak pediment with scrolled brackets shelters the door. The semicircular transom is divided into three vertical sections which each contain a multi-light window. Originally the frieze contained the words “Public Library” and the area above the keystone contained a “Dickinson Branch” nameplate.