Reading room in West wing of the basement, circa 1907.

ID: 4843 ~ Source: Washingtoniana Collection, Martin Luther King Jr. Library.

This file appears in: Central Public Library: Completed in 1902 with funding from Andrew Carnegie, the Central Public Library provided a public space for education and community.

This file appears in: Central Public Library: Completed in 1902 with funding from Andrew Carnegie, the Central Public Library provided a public space for education and community.

Central Public Library: Completed in 1902 with funding from Andrew Carnegie, the Central Public Library provided a public space for education and community.

By The DC Historic Sites team

Built between 1899 and 1902 by architects Ackerman & Ross, who had been selected in a national design competition, the Central Public Library was the first public building in DC to be built in the…