Maquoketa Public Library Explained

Maquoketa Free Public Library
Nrhp Type:indcp
Nocat:yes
Partof Refnum:91000970
Coordinates:42.0681°N -90.6672°W
Built:1903-1904
Builder:Harry Netcott
Added:December 27, 1989
Area:less than one acre
Refnum:89002102

The Maquoketa Public Library is located in Maquoketa, Iowa, United States. The Maquoketa Literary Society was organized as early as 1851, and the Boardman Library Institute was founded in 1885. The community applied to the Carnegie Corporation of New York for a grant to build a free public library, and on March 14, 1902, they were awarded $12,500.[1] The total cost of acquiring the property and constructing the building was $15,000, which they raised by public contributions and entertainments.[2] Independence, Iowa architect Harry Netcott designed the Neoclassical building. It is a single-story brick structure that rests on a raised limestone basement. Bedford stone was used for the trim. It features a symmetrical facade, with columns in the Ionic order that frame the portico. The interior features a columned rotunda. It was dedicated on January 19, 1904. The Boardman Library Institute merged with the Free Public Library after the new building was completed. The roofline was altered slightly when a new roof was added around the middle of the 20th century.

The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, and it was included as a contributing property in the West Pleasant Street Historic District in 1991. An addition was built onto the north side of the building in 1998.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Carnegie Libraries of Iowa Project-Maquoketa Public Library. 2016-06-17. University of Iowa.
  2. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=89002102}} Maquoketa Free Public Library]. National Park Service. 2016-06-17. Molly Myers Naumann. with