Filed Under Red Lodge

Carnegie Library, Red Lodge 

Red Lodge Commercial Historic District

The Red Lodge City Library opened in the Savoy Hotel in 1914 thanks to the efforts of the Women’s Club of Red Lodge. The hotel, however, was just a temporary home. The Club soon took up the campaign to secure a permanent library facility. The city appropriated $1,000 toward the effort and agreed to apply to the Carnegie Foundation for assistance. The Foundation awarded Red Lodge $15,000. In return, the city promised to provide land upon which to build and annual maintenance. Before the issue could be put to public vote, World War I intervened. At the close of the war, the city successfully applied again. Billings architect Warren A. Dedrick drew the plans to conform to Carnegie standards, which included modest Classical detailing, meeting room space, open stacks and a central desk for the librarian. Construction began in 1919, and in March of 1920, the city library moved into its new quarters. The library, still in use today, is a tribute to the Carnegie Foundation and the determination of the Red Lodge Women’s Club.

Images

Carnegie Library
Carnegie Library Facade Source: Montana Historical Society Creator: Bryan Baldwin Date: July 24, 2022
Carnegie Library, Red Lodge
Carnegie Library, Red Lodge Front view of the Carnegie Library, Red Lodge. (verso unavailable, photo affixed to survey sheet) b&w print. Source: Official records of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena, Montana Creator: Photographer Unidentified Date: ca. 1985
Carnegie Library, Red Lodge
Carnegie Library, Red Lodge Rear view of the Carnegie Library, Red Lodge. (verso unavailable, photo affixed to survey sheet) b&w print Source: Official records of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena, Montana Creator: Photographer Unidentified Date: ca. 1985

Location

3 West 8th Street, Red Lodge, Montana | Public

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Carnegie Library, Red Lodge ,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/74.