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Council Bluffs Public Library

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Coordinates: 41°15′29.4″N 95°51′05.3″W / 41.258167°N 95.851472°W / 41.258167; -95.851472
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Council Bluffs Public Library
Map
41°15′32.3″N 95°50′58.8″W / 41.258972°N 95.849667°W / 41.258972; -95.849667
Location400 Willow Ave, Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
TypePublic
Established1866; 159 years ago (1866)
Collection
Size186,970
Access and use
Circulation550,000 (2015)
Other information
DirectorAntonia Krupicka-Smith
Websitewww.councilbluffslibrary.org
References: [1]

The Council Bluffs Public Library is a public library in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The library serves the residents of Council Bluffs, along with unincorporated and rural areas of Pottawattamie County. Several cities also contract with the library to provide services. It dates back to 1866. The library is currently located on Willow Avenue and opened in 1998. The previous library building on Pearl Street was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

History

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Council Bluffs Free Public Library
The former Council Bluffs Public Library building in 2011
Location200 Pearl St., Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S.
Coordinates41°15′29.4″N 95°51′05.3″W / 41.258167°N 95.851472°W / 41.258167; -95.851472
Arealess than one acre
Built1905
ArchitectPatton and Miller
Architectural styleBeaux-Arts
NRHP reference No.99000048[2]
Added to NRHPJanuary 27, 1999

The Council Bluffs Public Library was formed in 1870 under the Council Bluffs High School Library Association. The Council Bluffs Free Public Library opened in 1871 and was located in rented space. The library did not have a permanent location until in 1903, W. S. Baird, a library trustee, requested a donation from Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie donated $50,000 under the condition that the city agreed to provide a site and institute an annual tax of $5,000 to operate the facility.[3] The grant was awarded on January 6, 1903, and the new building was dedicated on September 12, 1905.[4] The library was later added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 27, 1999.[5]

Following the previous library's small size and deteriorating condition, a new library was announced in 1994.[6] Demolition of the properties on site was completed in 1996, and construction on the library began in 1997. The library would be three times the size of the previous library, but would only be two stories tall.[7] The new Council Bluffs Public Library officially opened in September 1998. The previous Carnegie library closed that same month and demolition was decided against.[8] The former library was later converted into the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in 2013.[5]

Architecture

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The original library was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Patton & Miller in the Beaux-Arts-style. It was the largest Carnegie library built in the state of Iowa.[5] The current library was designed by Leo A. Daly.[7]

List of contract cities

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References

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  1. ^ "About Us". Council Bluffs Library. Council Bluffs Public Library. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ "Council Bluffs Free Public Library". Omaha Daily Bee. February 1, 1903. p. 23. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  4. ^ "Carnegie Libraries of Iowa Project-Council Bluffs Public Library". University of Iowa. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Donald D. Gross. "Council Bluffs Free Public Library". National Park Service. Retrieved November 15, 2016. with photos
  6. ^ "Committee in Bluffs Sets Library Meeting". Omaha World-Herald. October 11, 1994. p. 13. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Library wok remains on schedule". The Daily Nonpareil. May 20, 1997. p. 1. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  8. ^ "Former Library in the Blufs May Get $330,000 Face Lift". Omaha World-Herald. September 15, 1998. p. 21. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
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