National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NPS Form 10-900-b OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form This form is used for documenting property groups relating to one or several historic contexts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (formerly 16B). Complete each item by entering the requested information. ___X___ New Submission ________ Amended Submission A. Name of Multiple Property Listing Carnegie Libraries of New York City B. Associated Historic Contexts (Name each associated historic context, identifying theme, geographical area, and chronological period for each.) C. Form Prepared by: Christopher D. Brazee Suzanne R. Spellen 174 4th Street 817 River Street Troy NY 12180 Troy NY 12180 [email protected] [email protected] 518-279-6229 518-326-8447 D. Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this documentation form meets the National Register documentation standards and sets forth requirements for the listing of related properties consistent with the National Register criteria. This submission meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR 60 and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. _______________________________ ______________________ _________________________ Signature of certifying official Title Date _____________________________________ State or Federal Agency or Tribal government I hereby certify that this multiple property documentation form has been approved by the National Register as a basis for evaluating related properties for listing in the National Register. ________________________________ __________________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action NPS Form 10-900-b OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Carnegie Libraries of New York City New York Name of Multiple Property Listing State Table of Contents for Written Narrative Create a Table of Contents and list the page numbers for each of these sections in the space below. Provide narrative explanations for each of these sections on continuation sheets. In the header of each section, cite the letter, page number, and name of the multiple property listing. Refer to How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form for additional guidance. Andrew Carnegie and his philanthropic pursuits .................................................................................................................................... 1 History of New York’s Public Library Systems ........................................................................................................................................ 4 History of the NYPL ........................................................................................................................................................................... 4 History of the BPL ............................................................................................................................................................................. 8 History of the QPL ............................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Carnegie’s grant to New York City ......................................................................................................................................................... 11 The NYPL Carnegie Program .......................................................................................................................................................... 13 The BPL Carnegie Program ............................................................................................................................................................ 16 The Queens Carnegie Program ....................................................................................................................................................... 18 The Architecture of New York City’s Carnegie Libraries ..................................................................................................................... 18 Manhattan ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 20 The Bronx ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Staten Island .................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 Brooklyn ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 Queens ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 25 The Architects of New York City’s Carnegie Libraries ......................................................................................................................... 27 Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx .......................................................................................................................................... 27 Brooklyn ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Queens ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 30 NPS Form 10-900-b OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Carnegie Libraries of New York City New York Name of Multiple Property Listing State E. Statement of Historic Contexts (If more than one historic context is documented, present them in sequential order.) In 1901 Andrew Carnegie offered New York City $5.2 million to build branch libraries throughout the five boroughs. It was one of the signature achievements of Carnegie’s philanthropic program, in which he sought to give away his vast fortune during his lifetime. At the time of Carnegie’s grant, Greater New York City was still only a few years old (having consolidated in 1898), and its many independent libraries were also coalescing into the three systems that exist today. Some officials hoped the grant would encourage the libraries to unite into a single city-wide organization, but ultimately Carnegie’s gift to New York City was apportioned between the three systems and administered as separate (if closely aligned) programs. Andrew Carnegie and his Philanthropic Pursuits Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, the son of a handloom weaver, Will Carnegie, and his wife, Margaret. The family immigrated to the United States in 1848—in large part because the increasing mechanization in the textile industry made work scarce in the homeland—settling in Allegheny, PA, near Pittsburgh. Young Andrew started working at age 13 to help support his family. Carnegie quickly advanced in his professional career. By 1853 he had become personal telegrapher to Thomas Scott, the superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Western Division. Under Scott’s tutelage, Carnegie made his first investment in railroads, eventually leading to his purchase of the Woodruff Sleeping Car Company, America’s first railroad sleeping car.1 The Civil War gave Carnegie more opportunities to advance in the railroad business. At the war’s end, he had made his first of many fortunes. By the time he was 30 he had interests in railroads, steamships, and oil wells. He eventually decided to concentrate on his ironworks, building the Carnegie Steel Corporation, at one point the largest steel manufacturing company in the world. When he retired from active business in 1901 he was arguably the wealthiest person in the United States. By the 1870s, relatively early in his career, while he was still accumulating his fortune, Carnegie began formulating a detailed philanthropic philosophy, which he codified in a pair of essays published in 1889. In the first, “The Gospel of Wealth,” he outlined his belief that wealthy people should give away the majority of their fortune while they were still alive, preferably to cultural institutions that would uplift all of humanity. The second essay, “The Best Fields for Philanthropy,” outlined seven areas that Carnegie deemed most worthy: universities; free public libraries; hospitals, medical colleges, laboratories, and other institutions connected with the alleviation of human suffering; public parks; a hall suitable for meetings and concerts; swimming baths; and churches.2 While Carnegie placed universities at the top of his list, he acknowledged that “it is reserved for very few to found universities, and, indeed, the use for many, or perhaps any, new universities does not exist.”3 He believed that libraries were “the best gift which can be given to a community” since they