The original building was built in 1911, when the Hennepin/Lake area was sparsely populated. T. B. Walker, the president of the library board at the time, donated some land for the site of the library. The opening of this library coincided with the opening of a streetcar line on Lake Street, and it helped fulfill head librarian Gratia Countryman's wishes to expand the library system and bring books closer to people. Local architect Jerome Paul Jackson designed the library in a Classical Revival design. The portico, with Ionic columns, shows Beaux-Arts characteristics.[2]
Thomas Barlow Walker was involved in many aspects of Minneapolis art and culture. He was a member of the Minneapolis Athenaeum, the first lending library in Minneapolis, established in 1859. He led the progressive wing of Athenaeum members in advocating for a Public Library, established in 1885 with the main library opening in 1889.
In the 1870s Walker began collecting paintings and other works of art for his house on 8th and Hennepin Ave. In 1879 Walker built a gallery between his residence and his carriage house to display 20 paintings. This was the first public gallery in the Midwest. He collected landscapes, portraits, historical paintings and bronzes, miniatures, classical and Asian art. By 1892 Walker opened three more gallery rooms and also was contributing art to the public library's art gallery its location at 10th and Hennepin Ave.
In 1908 the Lyndale branch of the Minneapolis Public Library, was created. Thomas B. Walker wrote in the Minneapolis Public Library Board 1910 annual report that the city needed more branch libraries and reading rooms not only to provide a path for citizenship and education but, “To offset these temptations and demoralizing influences which to an ever-increasing extent afflict society.” In an effort to compete with the city's saloons, the Walker Branch was first envisioned in 1909, when Minneapolis Library Board member Thomas B. Walker donated two lots at 29th and Hennepin worth $42,700 to the Library Board. In 1910 Paul Jerome Jackson was selected as the project's architect. The Library's Building Committee also determined the two lots were not a sufficient of amount of land to build a branch library and Mr. Walker donated an additional 30 feet along Hennepin Avenue.
On June 13, 1911, the Walker Branch Library celebrated its grand opening. The first librarian was Lucy C. Dinsmore, who served from 1911 to 1925. By 1912 Walker's residence, art gallery and offices took up one-fourth of the block at 8th and Hennepin. Walker later moved his family and his art to the Thomas Lowry Mansion on Lowry Hill in 1916. In 1920 Walker's compound on 8th and Hennepin was torn down to make way for the State Theater. In the meantime the bulk of the collection was housed at the Minneapolis Public Library while Walker offered to donate land and his collection for a new library and art museum. The proposal was first accepted and then ultimately rejected by the city. Instead, Walker Art Center was built in the location that Walker and library director Gratia Countryman wanted a new main library. Minneapolis did not get a new main library until 35 years later when the new Minneapolis Central Library was opened at 300 Nicollet Mall in 1960.
A city of Minneapolis report written soon after the Walker Library opened noted that West High School and three other schools were in “borrowers’ distance” but about half of the circulation was adult fiction.
On October 1, 1925, Lucy C. Dinsmore resigned, she was replaced by Alta I. Hansen who had previously worked at the Business Branch.
In 1926 the Lyndale branch and a deposit collection were merged to form the West Lake Branch at Pillsbury and Lyndale.
On October 4, 1928, Alta Hansen transferred back to business branch, she was replaced by Marion Crosby who had previously been librarian at East Lake Library.
Starting in May 1937 the Minnesota Mycological society had its regular meetings for the study of mushrooms at the Walker Library. The Minnesota Audubon Society also had regular meetings and film and slide programs at the library. The Audubon Society also had a display of birds in the basement Audubon room until 1959 when the birds were donated to the city school's science departments. In the late 1930s the library had some WPA workers to help with day-to-day operations. Dexter Goulston, a labor organizer and auxiliary member of Truck Driver's Local #544 attempted to get WPA and Library staff to rebel against management but Marion Crosby was so universally respected that his words fell on deaf ears and he was quite discouraged and was transferred. Crosby was a bit concerned that she may have done something to get the library involved with the very active truck drivers union but everything ended up working out for the best.
Another WPA worker, Patricia Cannon, received rave reviews from Crosby during her time there but afterwards, in 1938, Cannon was arrested for forging withdrawals from the library account assigned to Crosby. There were also many other WPA workers that did excellent work and provided great service to library patrons.
On September 14, 1939, Father Ryan of St. Stephen's parish requested permission to use the meeting space at Walker Library for the purpose of weekday classes in religious instruction. Library director Carl Vitz informed the Library Board that under current library rules, meeting facilities cannot be used for religious or political meetings. The Library Board voted to change the rule allowing this type of use but only under strict conditions. In September 1940 the café at the Carling Hotel, the Library's neighbor was raided for selling hard liquor (it only had a license for beer). Marion Crosby hoped, “if they fold up and fade from the scene we shall not have so many bottles to clear off our lawn in the mornings.”
In June 1942 Marion Phillips was appointed head librarian of Walker Library. Because of its close proximity to Walker Library, the West Lake Branch is closed in 1946 when it loses its lease.
In 1948 the Teen-Age Book Club was formed by teens in the Walker Library area, it met on Thursday mornings in the summer. Donna TerLouw, aged 14 was the president. The girls read books such as Roommates by Laura Cooper Rendenna, Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly and One Crowded Hour by Jenane Patterson Binder. The boys liked books such as All-Conference Tackle by C. Paul Jackson and Touchdown Twins by Phillip Harkins. Both boys and girls enjoyed Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and Sinclair Lewis’ Kingsblood Royal. It was the second teen book club in the city, Sumner Library formed a group a few years earlier.
Head librarian Mary Cracraft on October 26, 1953, noted feeling the effect of moving pictures in calls for The Robe, From Here to Eternity, Moulin Rouge, Shane and The Moon is Blue. On June 11, 1954, the reference load was noted and some of the unique requests: they helped a woman find something inspirational to write on a first wedding anniversary to her daughter and husband living in Spain; they got a frantic call from someone wondering approximately how much 13 pounds of pennies was worth.
On March 14, 1958, the Audubon Society gave a movie projector to the library. The population of the area served by the Walker library was about 26,000 in 1960: 21,000 adults and 5,000 children.
Walker Library heated up in the summer days, especially in August. After the new Central Library opened, Mary Cracraft noted on August 5, 1963, “I have never heard so many people say, as have this month that they have gone to the Main Library more, and I can’t blame them. Our little bailiwick has been damned hot compared with the wonderful air conditioning of Main.”
A plan emerged in 1968 to replace the Walker Library with a 15,000 square foot building at Humboldt Avenue South and Lake Street, it did not come to fruition. In 1971 Library Director Ervin Gaines wrote to the Lowry Hill Homeowner's Association, “We have been endeavoring for the last several years to persuade the city fathers that the Walker Library at 29th and Hennepin is too small and outmoded for the space age and for the desires of the neighborhood. So far, we have not been successful…Lowry Hill residents, once persuaded to take action, will be a compelling force to bring to reality our dream of a new library to replace the old and honored Walker Library that has served so well, but has grown obsolete.”
A 1973 Wedge article pointed towards the new Southdale library as a model for a new community oriented library for the Uptown neighborhood that would have a more dynamic role in the educational and information needs of the surrounding community.
In 1974 the Minneapolis Park Board denied the library the land across from the present library for a new library; it would have been at the end of the Mall. The library was also looking at the Calhoun School at 3016 Girard as a possible site.
By 1976 a joint library/park recreation center and new gym for West High School was floated. West High did later get a new gym, which became the YWCA when West was demolished. The Minneapolis Park Board rejected the joint use idea. The Minneapolis Library Board chose 2880 Hennepin as the site for the new Walker Library.
In October 1978 the land was purchased for the new Walker Library at Lagoon and Hennepin. The cost was $310,600.
The new Walker Community Library, 2880 Hennepin Avenue South opened in 1981, which was built out of concrete and earth at a cost of $2.3 million. It was designed by Myers & Bennett and built by George F. Cook Construction. The old library closed on February 7, 1981, and the new library opened on February 23. 1981. The library board sold old Walker Library to Laurence S. Zipkin for $400,000 in October 1980.
In 1985 a casual restaurant, “Walker’s” opened in the basement of the old library. Gourmet hamburgers were the signature fare.
In 1993 the Junior League bought the building and opened a used clothing store inside, called “The Clothesline.”
In October 2003 a posh spa and salon named Pagoda moved into the old library.[3]
The building was sold in January 2015 to Ned Abdul,[4] and is currently home to a reception venue called Mansion at Uptown that opened in 2016.[5]
1981 building
Exterior of the 1981 buildingIconic letters outside of building
In the 1970s, the Walker Library at 2901 Hennepin Avenue was deemed, “not to meet the standards of a modern facility…with many exterior steps and the interior is crowded.” It was replaced by the Walker Community Library, across the street at 2880 Hennepin Avenue South, in 1981, which was built out of concrete and earth at a cost of $2.3 million. It was designed by Myers & Bennett and built by George F. Cook Construction. The interior designer was Kalbac and Associates. It was the first earth-sheltered building constructed by the City of Minneapolis and one of the few underground public libraries in the country. It measured 18,500 square feet and had a 36 car metered parking lot. An article written by the East Calhoun News in April 1982 noted that the new Library was too busy to note its anniversary. Circulation at the library jumped 77% from 1980 to 1981. Walker Library moved from fifth place in circulation out of the 14 community libraries to second, ranking only behind Washburn Library.
The two main floors of the new building were located underground. There was a large "LIBRARY" sign on Hennepin Avenue with an entry pavilion to indicate the library's presence.[6] A unique feature of this building was its book return. Books could be dropped off from a chute at the top of the building and would slide down a long spiraling metal playground slide to the bottom floor.
Although the building was built underground to conserve space and save energy,[7] it was not easily visible and had problems with water seepage.
By 1993, several deficiencies in lighting, space, identity, water leakage and accessibility were noted for the building. When it was constructed, underground building technology was new and untested. Although built to conserve energy, many times these buildings ended up being expensive to maintain. The Walker Library was no exception. What was revolutionary in 1981 was considered ugly and prone to vandalism in 1993. By 1994, many in the neighborhood wanted to move back to the old library building instead of paying $900,000 in renovations for the new one. The renovation was still much cheaper compared to the estimated $5.4 million required to update the old Walker Building which had just been bought by the Junior League.
In 1995, renovations were done to address structural issues and make the library more inviting. Seven-foot-high brushed stainless steel block letters spelling out L-I-B-R-A-R-Y, designed by Leonard Park Associates Architects, were added to the exterior and an original mural of Cinderella based upon Beatrix Potter's characters added charm to the children's area. After initial rejection, a renovated parking deck was approved and undertaken to eliminate the cracks and leaks in the roof. A mixed-use library/apartment building was also proposed but a task force decided not to move forward with a building that could possibly cost $6.5 million.
In 2001, a children's book written by Susan Goldman Rubin titled There Goes the Neighborhood: Ten Buildings People Loved to Hate included chapters on the Eiffel Tower, the Guggenheim Museum and the Walker Library.[8]
More renovations were done to the parking deck in 2005. By 2006, proposals were being considered to replace the library with something that would be more visible.[6] The building was razed in 2013 to make way for a new above-ground library.[9]
2014 building
Walker Library, 2014
The 1981 building closed on September 22, 2012, and was replaced with a new building designed by VJAA and built by Shaw-Lundquist and Associates. It opened on April 26, 2014.[10][11] In the new, above-ground building, visitors enter through the front door into a vestibule, and then into a large high-ceilinged main room, containing the front desk, rows of computers, self checkout stations, and is where the majority of the books and DVDs are kept. Below the building is a new underground parking garage. Behind the building, in an alley dipping into the ground to allow access to the parking garage, the stainless steel block letters from the front of the 1981 building were placed on the ledge on top of the alley.
Related Research Articles
Thomas Lowry was an American lawyer, real-estate magnate, and businessman who oversaw much of the early growth of the streetcar lines in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding communities in Minnesota. He became head of the Minneapolis Street Railway Co., later to become part of Twin City Rapid Transit (TCRT). He is not known to be a relative of Sylvanus Lowry, the slaveholder and profiteer of slavery-related enterprise from St. Cloud, Minnesota.
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.
Uptown is a commercial district in southwestern Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota, that is centered at the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and West Lake Street. It has traditionally spanned the corners of four neighborhoods, Lowry Hill East, East Bde Maka Ska, South Uptown and East Isles neighborhoods, which are all within the Calhoun Isles community. Historically, the boundaries of Uptown are Bde Maka Ska to the west, Dupont Avenue to the east, 31st Street to the south, and 28th Street to the north; though these borders often vary. Uptown is a popular destination for retail, nightlife, and cultural events, and the district was famously written about by recording artist Prince.
The U.S. city of Minneapolis is officially defined by the Minneapolis City Council as divided into eleven communities, each containing multiple official neighborhoods. Informally, there are city areas with colloquial labels. Residents may also group themselves by their city street suffixes, North, Northeast, South, Southeast, and Southwest.
The Lowry Hill Tunnel is a tunnel 1,496 feet (456 m) in length accommodating the Interstate 94 (I-94) freeway near downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota that was completed in late 1971. It is placed at a near-right-angle turn in the highway, forcing the three lanes of traffic in each direction to slow down. The advised speed is 40 miles per hour (64 km/h).
Lowry Hill East, also known as the Wedge, is a neighborhood in southwest Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, part of the Calhoun Isles community. Lowry Hill East developed in the 1880s along a horse-drawn streetcar line built by Thomas Lowry. The interior of the neighborhood is residential, with large early 20th century homes and multi-unit apartment buildings, while the border streets are lined with bars, restaurants, grocery stores, coffeeshops, and other small businesses. Most housing is renter-occupied.
South Uptown is a residential neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2018, the neighborhood voted to change its name to South Uptown from its former name CARAG. Other potential names for the neighborhood included "Bryant Park" and "Bryant Square". The Minneapolis City Council approved the name change in November 2018.
Lake Street is a major east-west thoroughfare between 29th and 31st streets in Minneapolis, Minnesota United States. From its western most end at the city's limits, Lake Street reaches the Chain of Lakes, passing over a small channel linking Bde Maka Ska and Lake of the Isles, and at its eastern most end it reaches the Mississippi River. In May 2020, the Lake Street corridor suffered extensive damage during local unrest following the murder of George Floyd. In August of the same year, city officials designated East Lake Street as one of seven cultural districts to promote racial equity, preserve cultural identity, and promote economic growth.
Hennepin Avenue is a major street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It runs from Lakewood Cemetery, north through the Uptown District of Southwest Minneapolis, through the Virginia Triangle, the former "Bottleneck" area west of Loring Park. It then goes through the North Loop in the city center, to Northeast Minneapolis and the city's eastern boundary, where it becomes Larpenteur Avenue as it enters Lauderdale in Ramsey County at Highway 280. Hennepin Avenue is a Minneapolis city street south/west of Washington Avenue, and is designated as Hennepin County Road 52 from Washington Avenue to the county line.
Sumner Library is a neighborhood library located in the Near-north neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Originally part of the Minneapolis Public Library, it became part of the merged Hennepin County Library in 2008. The Carnegie Library was a haven for Jewish immigrants to the city in the early 20th century. The Minneapolis Public Library moved its entire collection of Yiddish and Hebrew works to the branch library in response to a survey showing that 95% of the patrons were Jewish immigrants, some of whom learned English there and participated in social clubs in the building. The Tudor Revival building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Linden Hills Library is a public library in the Linden Hills neighborhood of southwest Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The branch library originally opened in 1911 on the first floor of the Lake Harriet Commercial Club building. In 1931, under the leadership of Minneapolis Public Library's chief librarian Gratia Countryman, the library moved into its own building on 2900 West 43rd Street. Area resident Joseph Victor Vanderbilt designed the library in the Tudor Revival style. Head librarian Edith Frost served for over thirty years. The library has also hosted community groups such as children's clubs, neighborhood groups, and women's organizations. The library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 and renovated in 2002.
Hosmer Library, originally known as the Thirty-Sixth Street Branch Library, is a branch library of the Hennepin County Library system serving the Central neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It was named the Hosmer Library in honor of James Kendall Hosmer and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
Minneapolis Central Library is a public library located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the largest library in the Hennepin County 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.
The Virginia Triangle is the commons of Hennepin and Lyndale Avenues on Lowry Hill, Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota.
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.
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.
Edina Library is a branch of Hennepin County Library serving Edina, Minnesota, United States.
The Metro E Line is a planned bus rapid transit route in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Edina. The route will operate from Southdale Center Transit Center in Edina, Minnesota to Westgate station in Saint Paul. Running mostly on France Avenue, Hennepin Avenue, and University Avenue, the line will serve major destinations such as Southdale Center, Fairview Hospital, 50th & France, Linden Hills, Uptown, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Downtown Minneapolis, Dinkytown, the University of Minnesota, and Prospect Park. The route will have "train-like" features to speed up service and improve reliability, such as signal priority, bus lanes, all-door boarding, further stop spacing, and specialized vehicles. In 2019 planning and design were underway, with construction slated for 2023 and operations beginning a year later but that timeline has been moved back. The E Line would largely replace Route 6 which carries 9,000 trips each weekday. The project was fully funded with $60 million by the state of Minnesota in 2021 and is expected to open in 2025.
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.
