Residents in Cleveland's Tremont and Clark-Fulton neighborhoods will be able to enjoy a piece of Cleveland history with the reopening of a beloved neighborhood institution dating back to 1911 when it was constructed with funds gifted by Andrew Carnegie—a business tycoon who made his fortune on the American steel industry.
On Saturday, Dec. 1, Cleveland Public Library's South Branch, 3096 Scranton Road, will reopen for the first time since its closure in 2013 because of structural and mechanical failures.
The community took part in the renovation and preservation of the historic building.
"This process has been worth the wait. We’ll have a nearly 110-year-old library that has all the amenities of a 21st-century library,” said Jaime Declet, manager of South Branch, in a press release.
The branch was updated to include quiet study rooms, a sound studio and a computer bar located at the historic Carnegie desk, along with the addition of a new entrance that will be fully ADA-compliant, while maintaining the original stone facade.
Architects who worked on the project were able to preserve some of the building's character such as the wood trim, the fireplace, the skylight and the bookcases.
The library will reopen with a ribbon cutting on Saturday from 12-5 p.m.
