Jacksonville Architecture

Between 1901 and 1919, philanthropist Andrew Carnegie helped to finance over 2,800 public libraries in the United States. In 1902 Mr. Carnegie offered $50,000 to Jacksonville to build a library, and in a citywide referendum on November 4, 1902, voters narrowly approved accepting the money, 640 to 625. In 1903 a design competition was held and architect H. J. Klutho's Neo-Classic Revival design was the winner. The building's most prominent feature is the pedimented portico supported by four massive fluted columns, whose capitals are highlighted with the faces of great men of knowledge including Aristotle, Plato, and Shakespeare. The library was built with steel-frame construction. The exterior walls are faced with Indiana limestone, and its roofline is pronounced by a copper cornice and railing. It served as Jacksonville's main library until 1965. In 1983 it was purchased from the City of Jacksonville and renovated by the law firm of Bedell, Dittmar, DeVault, Pillans & Gentry, one of whose founders was George Bedell, a member of the city's Library Board of Trustees in 1903.