East Lake Library

Last updated
East Lake Branch Library
Old East Lake Branch Library.jpg
The first East Lake Branch Library, now a store
USA Minnesota location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location2916 East Lake Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Coordinates 44°56′56″N93°13′44″W / 44.94889°N 93.22889°W / 44.94889; -93.22889
NRHP reference No. 00000542 [1]
Added to NRHPMay 26, 2000

East Lake Library is one of 41 branch libraries in the Hennepin County Library System, one of 15 branch libraries formerly in the Minneapolis Public Library System in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Three different buildings have housed the library since 1924. [2]

Contents

Buildings

First

The first East Lake Community Library opened in February 1924, between the Hosmer Community Library and Roosevelt Community Library, which is modeled closely after East Lake. [3] Situated on Lake Street, it featured simple architecture and a skylight. Because of its appearance, seemingly like a storefront, the library was called a 'Reading Factory'. [3] East Lake was one of the last libraries built in a library 'building boom' that Minneapolis experienced starting in 1905 and ending in 1937. [4]

The first East Lake remained until the mid-1970s when the need for a new, larger library grew. By 1974 East Lake was circulating 121,459 items and fielding tens of thousands of reference questions. [5] In 1976 the library closed and was reopened as a Montessori day care. In 1987 Northern Sun Merchandising purchased the building and runs it there to this day. [2] In 2000 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2004–5, 80 solar panels (9.6 kW) were installed on the roof. The original library shelves still circle the walls of the building.

East Lake Library, 1976 East Lake Library, 1976.tif
East Lake Library, 1976

Second

The second East Lake was built two blocks west of the original library. It had 15,116 square feet (1,404 m2) of space and 30,000 volumes. [3] It also had a 2,390 square feet (222 m2) meeting room. [6] The building was built by the Minnehaha Mall which included a Target and SuperValu store, and helped bring growth to the area. [3] It served patrons of the Longfellow and Phillips neighborhoods well (second in circulation numbers to only Washburn Library), although by around the start of the 21st century, the building was beginning to show wear. [6]

In 1999, a plan called Outlook Twenty Ten outlined some options for the renewal of the library:

None of Outlook Twenty Ten's original suggestions were followed, and on April 30, 2005, the second East Lake was closed to make way for the third building. [4]

Third

The third incarnation of East Lake library, 2019 East Lake Library, Minneapolis.jpg
The third incarnation of East Lake library, 2019

The current East Lake was modeled after Minneapolis Central Library, which was also under construction at the time. The new East Lake facility features a glass and metal exterior and was designed by KKE Architects. [2] It was the first green branch library in the MPL system. [7]

The library opened on March 10, 2007. It includes a meeting room, children's area, computers, a zine collection, and fully automated checkout systems. [8] It is located in the same place as the 1976 building, 2727 E. Lake Street. [4]

The library building was damaged by smoke and water from arson that occurred during the overnight hours of May 27, 2020, during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. [9] [10]

Programs

K-12 Homework Help is a free after-school program for students in the neighborhood [11] . East Lake also hosts a monthly Mystery Book Club, a weekly Weekly Art + Craft Practice Group, and regular visits by nonprofit and government agencies offering social supports and career services. [12]

Works of art

East Lake Library art includes Zoran Mojsilov's 2007 piece Zoomorphy, presenting large granite rocks held in place by sinuous steel rods. Weighing 26,000 pounds, Zoomorphy is located in the external rain garden. [13] Visitors looking through the library's external windows encounter Janet Lofquist's Pages, featuring etched glass versions of literary excerpts from Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat, Galileo Galilei's work, and Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hennepin County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Hennepin County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the state's most populous city. The county is named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. The county extends from Minneapolis to the suburbs and outlying cities in the western part of the county. The county’s natural areas are covered with extensive woods, hills, and lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicollet Mall</span> Shopping, transit and pedestrian space in Minneapolis

Nicollet Mall is a twelve-block portion of Nicollet Avenue running through downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is the shopping and dining district of the city, and also a pedestrian mall and transit mall. Along with Hennepin Avenue to the west, Nicollet Mall forms the cultural and commercial center of Minneapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minneapolis Public Library</span> Library

The Minneapolis Public Library (MPL) was a library system that served the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded in 1885 with the establishment of the Minneapolis Library Board by an amendment to the Minneapolis City Charter. Lumber baron and philanthropist T. B. Walker and other city leaders such as Thomas Lowry were members of the first library board. In 2008, after some financial difficulties, the library was merged into the Hennepin County Library system. At the time of its merger, the library included Central Library in downtown Minneapolis and fourteen branch libraries. Its collection numbered about 3.1 million items with about 2.2 million of these housed in the central library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hennepin County Medical Center</span> Hospital in Minnesota, United States

Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) is a Level I adult and pediatric trauma center and safety net hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the county seat of Hennepin County. The primary 484-bed facility is on six city blocks across the street from U.S. Bank Stadium, with neighborhood clinics in the Minneapolis Whittier and East Lake neighborhoods, and the suburban communities of Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Golden Valley, St. Anthony and Richfield. A new clinic in the North Loop neighborhood downtown opened in 2017. HCMC has recognized trauma surgery specialists, transplant services, stroke specialists, advanced endoscopy/hepatobilliary center, and hyperbaric oxygen chamber. A new outpatient clinic building opened in 2018. In March 2018, the provider that operates HCMC was rebranded as Hennepin Healthcare. However, the hospital retained the name HCMC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Minneapolis</span> History of a US City

Minneapolis is the largest city by population in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The origin and growth of the city was spurred by the proximity of Fort Snelling, the first major United States military presence in the area, and by its location on Saint Anthony Falls, which provided power for sawmills and flour mills.

Minneapolis is the largest city in the state of Minnesota in the United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hennepin County Library</span>

Hennepin County Library is a public library system serving Hennepin County, Minnesota, US. The current iteration of Hennepin County Library was formed by the merger of urban Minneapolis Public Library and suburban Hennepin County Library on January 1, 2008. The system has 41 library locations, deposit collections at nursing homes and correctional facilities, mail service to the homebound, and extensive outreach services. The library is a department of Hennepin County Government. The library headquarters are in the Ridgedale Library in suburban Minnetonka. The library system has an eleven-member advisory Library Board appointed by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners. It is a member of the Metropolitan Library Service Agency, a consortium of eight Twin Cities library systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nokomis Library</span> Public library in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Nokomis Library, formerly Nokomis Community Library, is a branch library serving the Nokomis East area of Minneapolis, Minnesota. One of 41 libraries in the Hennepin County Library system, Nokomis was designed by Buetow and Associates, Inc and opened in 1968 as a replacement for the nearby Longfellow Community Library. After being deemed crowded and outdated in 1999, the library underwent a renovation beginning in 2009 that saw it gain a number of environmentally friendly features and an expansion of 4,300 square feet (399 m2). The building reopened in 2011 and includes a restored Wind and Water Chime, a stabile that was part of the original library and that was refurbished and reinstalled by July 2013. The library contains over 35 computers, a public meeting room, and a Spanish-language collection of materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minneapolis Post Office</span> Post office in MN, United States

The Minneapolis Post Office is the central post office for the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. Located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, the facility extends west to east from Hennepin Avenue Bridge to the Third Avenue Bridge and north to south from the West River Parkway on the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway to First Street. Its ZIP code is 55401.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roosevelt Library</span> United States historic place

Roosevelt Library is one of 41 community libraries in the Hennepin County Library System, originally part of the Minneapolis Public Library System as it is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Library (Minneapolis)</span> United States historic place

Franklin Library is a public library on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The library was one of thirteen branch libraries established under the leadership of Gratia Countryman, the chief librarian of the Minneapolis Public Library from 1904 to 1936. The library housed the largest collection of Scandinavian books, newspapers, and magazines within the system, which reflected the population living in the area. The library was funded by the Carnegie Corporation and designed by Edward Lippincott Tilton, a New York City architect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walker Library (Minneapolis)</span> United States historic place

Walker Library is a public library in the East Isles neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is on Hennepin Avenue one block north of Lake Street, adjoining the Midtown Greenway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minneapolis Central Library</span> Public library in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Minneapolis Central Library, a library in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, is the largest library of the Hennepin County Library public library system. It bills itself as having "the third largest per capita public library collection of any major city in America with a collection of more than 2.4 million items—including books, DVDs, music, government documents." The 353,000-square-foot (32,800 m2) building at 300 Nicollet Mall with two levels of underground parking was designed by César Pelli and opened on May 20, 2006. It has over 300 computers for use by the public, an 8,140-square-foot (756 m2) atrium, an 18,560-square-foot (1,724 m2) green roof planted with low-growing ground cover designed to "be sun- and drought-resistant", and a host of energy-efficiency measures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Library</span> Building in Minneapolis, MN

Northeast Library is a public library in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Hennepin County Library system. Since opening in 1973, Northeast Library at 2200 Central Avenue Northeast in Minneapolis serves a vibrant metropolitan community, Northeast, Minneapolis. At 15,275 square feet, the space held about 30,000 books and featured a fireplace to welcome patrons in winter. The 1973 building was itself a replacement for a Carnegie library which was on the site from 1915 until 1972.

North Regional Library is a public library in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Hennepin County Library system. Since opening in 1971, North Regional Library at 1315 Lowry Ave. N. in Minneapolis serves a diverse metropolitan community, Near North, Minneapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washburn Library</span> Branch library in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Washburn Library, formerly Washburn Community Library, is a public library in the Hennepin County Library system. Opened in September 1970, Washburn Library, located at 5244 Lyndale Avenue South in Minneapolis, began with a footprint of 14,451 square feet (1,342.5 m2) and approximately 18,000 books. Designed by Brooks Cavin, an architect who studied under Walter Gropius and Eero Saarinen, Washburn reflected mid-century modernism. Set near Minnehaha Creek, Washburn meets the needs of Southwest Minneapolis in a picturesque neighborhood.

Augsburg Park Library is a public library in Richfield, Minnesota. A Richfield branch library of Hennepin County Library has existed in various buildings in since 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Park Library</span> Building in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

Brooklyn Park Library is a branch of Hennepin County Library serving Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States. The current facility opened in June 2016, replacing an earlier library building at 8600 Zane Avenue North that opened in 1976. Prior to that the area was served by Hennepin County Library's bookmobile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edina Library</span>

Edina Library is a branch of Hennepin County Library serving Edina, Minnesota, United States.

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 "Hennepin County Library-East Lake". Hennepin County Library System. 2007-02-20. Archived from the original on 2007-11-04. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Benidt, Bruce Weir (1984). The Library Book. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center. ISBN   0-9613716-0-9.
  4. 1 2 3 "East Lake Library". Hennepin County Library. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  5. ↑ Dyar, Mary (1974). Minneapolis Public Library Annual Report 1974. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center.
  6. 1 2 3 Ryan, Amy (1999). Outlook Twenty Ten. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Public Library.
  7. ↑ "East Lake Library" (PDF). Minneapolis Public Library. 2007-01-19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-02-21. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  8. ↑ "East Lake Library". Hennepin County Library. 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  9. ↑ Penrod, Josh; Sinner, C.J. (2020-07-13). "Buildings damaged in Minneapolis, St. Paul after riots". Star Tribune . Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  10. ↑ Uren, Adam (2020-06-01). "A list of the buildings damaged, looted in Minneapolis and St. Paul". Bring Me The News . Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  11. ↑ "Homework Help". Hennepin County Library. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  12. ↑ "Events: East Lake". Hennepin County Library. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  13. ↑ Start Seeing Artists, "Zoomorphy by Zoran Mojsilov," http://www.startseeingart.com/sculpture/zoomorphy-by-zoran-mojsilov/
  14. ↑ Lofquist, Janet, "Pages," http://janetlofquist.com/pages/#4

Coordinates: 44°56′53″N93°13′55″W / 44.94806°N 93.23194°W / 44.94806; -93.23194

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.