Havre Carnegie Public Library
Between 1901 and 1918, Havre was one of seventeen Montana cities receiving grant funds from the Andrew S. Carnegie Foundation for construction of a public library. Havre filed their request for funding with the foundation in 1912, after outgrowing two other locally funded libraries and after hearing about Glasgow’s success in securing Carnegie dollars. This Classical Revival building was designed by Kalispell architect Marion Riffo. Riffo used the practical floor plans and dignified exterior designs recommended by the Carnegie Foundation. The strongest Classical Revival features are the building’s symmetrical organization and the large parapet, surmounted by an unadorned roof line. Carnegie’s $12,000 contribution was used solely to construct the building. The community then agreed to purchase all other needed equipment and books, provide a suitable location, and devote at least ten percent of the building’s cost to its maintenance. The building was finished in 1914, at the very height of Havre’s growth and importance in northcentral Montana’s homesteading boom. It represented the culmination of efforts begun in 1901 by many individuals and the local Woman’s Club, to insure the availability of good literature in this up-and-coming town.