Free Library of Philadelphia, Falls of Schuylkill Branch, 3501 Midvale Avenue, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA

Significance: Completed in 1913, the Falls of the Schuylkill Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia was one of twenty-five branch libraries built through an endowment from industrialist-turned-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The impact of Carnegie's grant program on the development of public libraries cannot be overstated. He came of age in an era when libraries were rare, privately funded institutions and access was through subscription. Believing in the power of libraries to create an egalitarian society that favored hard work over social privilege by allowing equal access to knowledge, between 1886 and 1917 he provided forty million dollars for the construction of 1,679 libraries throughout the nation. The vast resources that he allotted to library research and construction contributed significantly to the development of the American Library as a building type. In addition, by insisting that municipalities supply a building site, books, and annual maintenance funds before bestowing grants Carnegie elevated libraries from the arena of private philanthropy to that of civic responsibility.

Philadelphia was the recipient of one of the largest Carnegie grants for library construction. Although the city was among the first to establish a free library system, it had no purpose-built structures prior to the Carnegie endowment. The branch libraries were built between 1905 and 1930, under the direction of the city appointed Carnegie Fund Committee, and designed by a "who's-who" of Philadelphia's architects. The twenty extant branch libraries remain as a remarkable intact and cohesive grouping, rivaled only by that of New York City, with fifty-seven. The Falls of the Schuylkill Branch was designed by the well-known architectural firm of Rankin, Kellogg & Crane. It is among the most elaborate of the branch libraries, erected in a Tudor Gothic style rather than the more staid Beaux Arts of most of the other branch libraries. It also differs from the typical branch in that it lacks the rear ell section that results in a T-shaped configuration. Its sloped site allows for a distinctive and easily accessible entry into the basement lecture hall. The lot was donated to the city by William H. Merrick and the Warden Estate. Prior to the construction of the branch library, Falls of the Schuylkill enjoyed a Free Library deposit station, which was established within a local church in 1901.
Survey number: HABS PA-6764
Building/structure dates: 1913 Initial Construction