National Register Listing

Carnegie Library

215 E. Wade St., El Reno, OK

El Reno's Carnegie Library was built in 1904-1905 and dedicated on March 5, 1905, the 4th Carnegie Library in then 16-year-old Oklahoma Territory. The oldest still in use today as a library, it has served El Reno and Canadian County in a continually expanding number of ways for nearly 75 years. The addition of an Archives Room in 1964 to the left rear of the two-story structure - accomplished without seriously marring a simple classic design - has enabled the library to serve an increasing number students and scholars from well beyond the El Reno area. All the time the building itself has been well maintained, with a minimum of interior changes, thus letting it stand today as a still rather handsome model for the concept of community service and enrichment Andrew Carnegie undoubtedly intended for his library building program.

Local significance of the building:
Social History

Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

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.