| Perry Carnegie Library Building | |
| Nrhp Type: | indcp |
| Nocat: | yes |
| Partof Refnum: | 00001005 |
| Coordinates: | 41.8383°N -94.105°W |
| Built: | 1908 |
| Builder: | Courtney and Bolt |
| Added: | October 3, 1996 |
| Area: | less than one acre |
| Refnum: | 96001061 |
The Perry Carnegie Library Building, also known as the Carnegie Library Museum, is a historic structure located in Perry, Iowa, United States. The Perry Library Association was established in 1894, and William Tarr served as its first librarian.[1] Andrew Carnegie accepted Perry's application for a grant for $10,600 on January 13, 1903.[2] The Des Moines architectural firm of Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen designed the Neoclassical building that was built by local contractor Courtney and Bolt. It opened in September 1904 was dedicated on December 10.
The L-shaped building is designed to fit into its triangular lot. The inside of the "L" is filled in and features a rounded outer wall. The building served as a public library for close to 90 years when a new library was built across the street. It was then renovated for use as a library museum. Its collection includes many of the 1,000 original titles from the library, a special collection of Midwest literature, women's fiction, children's books, and books on literacy and libraries.[3] The Carnegie Library Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It was included as a contributing building in the Downtown Perry Historic District in 2000.[4]