The Carnegie Library in Jacksonville was officially opened to the public on June 1, 1905.
In May of 1901 a devastating fire destroyed most of the buildings in Jacksonville, including the city’s library. In 1902 industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie agreed to donate $50,000 toward the construction of a new library, if the city designated a site and provided $5,000 annually for library support. The building was designed by Henry John Klutho in the Neoclassical Revival style. When the library was opened, it was the largest, and the only taxpayer-supported, library in Florida. The original building still exists but is now privately owned.
~Florida Historical Society
