Aitkin Carnegie Library
a.k.a. Aitkin Public library
121 2nd St., NW, Aitkin, MNThe Aitkin Public Library is significant both for its role in the intellectual and cultural development of Aitkin and as a well-preserved example of the Minnesota small-town library structures financed by Andrew Carnegie, a noted turn-of-the-century steel magnate. Aitkin citizens organized a free public library in 1904. The library collection was temporarily housed in the village council chamber until the present structure's construction in 1911 with a $6,500 grant from the Carnegie Foundation. The library, unlike many Carnegie-funded libraries which have been demolished or altered as community library systems have expanded, retains its original design integrity while continuing to serve the community in its intended educational role. Architecturally, the library is a notable local example of public Neo-classical design.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.