The first public library in Dallas was established through the efforts of Mrs. Irene Gerlinger and other members of the Dallas Women’s Club. Dedicated on October 17, 1905, the library was located in the Fireman’s Room on the first floor of the City Hall. It was sustained by annual contributions from the City of Dallas, $150 annually at first, then doubling in 1907. Also in 1907, Jennie Muscott was appointed permanent librarian because of the increased demand for books.
The library collection soon outgrew the Fireman’s Room, and Mrs. Gerlinger contacted the foundation run by Scottish-American steel magnate Andrew Carnegie in New York about a contribution for a new library building. The Carnegie Foundation at the time oversaw a library building program that ultimately resulted in the construction of 1,795 public and academic libraries in the United States, 32 of them in Oregon. Most of the Carnegie-endowed libraries are still in use, at least in Oregon, as libraries, art centers, museums, bookstores and schools. The Foundation donated $5,000 to the Dallas project and a matching $5,000 was provided by the community.
As a next step, two architects were hired by the City–Frank H. Morrison, who had moved to Oregon in 1892 from upstate New York, and J. H. McConnell, a longtime local architect. Together, they oversaw the building of the library according to the Carnegie plan. Of interest, the Carnegie Building in The Dalles, which now serves as their community’s Arts Center, was built in 1910 with virtually the same architecture and design.
Constructed with standard bricks and poured concrete, the library is in the Renaissance Revival style. This style emphasizes symmetry, proportion and regularity in all design elements and derives from classical Roman architecture. The building’s interior housed the library collection on the main floor and an assembly room in the basement.
There have been some changes over the decades to the original plan. In 1937, for example, two symmetrical lamp posts that had adorned the entrance were removed and a dome light installed above the doorway. Also during this period, the front of the library was redone and the stair leading straight into the building from the sidewalk was replaced by two sets of steps on each side that turn into the entrance.
The new library was dedicated in 1912. Annual expenses were met through a round of concerts, benefits, dinners and levies orchestrated by the City Council as the library continued to grow. By 1916, about 1400 persons were regular customers, and the City Council voted to set aside $1,000 per year from the general fund to cover operating costs and book purchases.
The Polk County Library was established in December 1920 by the County Court of Polk County. The Dallas Public Library was absorbed into this system and became the hub for a county-wide organization consisting of four branch libraries in incorporated towns–Independence, Monmouth, West Salem, and Falls City–nine stations to distribute books in rural areas, and thirty more stations in county schools to distribute books only during the school year. The result was a library system in which individual cities such as Dallas retained local control but extended their resources cooperatively throughout the county with annual expenses of $2,600 taken care of by the County Court.
This system collapsed due to financial pressures sometime during the Great Depression. However, at the same time some improvements were made to the Carnegie Building–a new roof in 1934, leak repairs in 1935, exterior changes in 1937–and for the first time, charges were assessed for out-of-city borrowers.
Later renovations and improvements followed. In 1966, the Oregon Room opened, containing sources both fictional and nonfictional related to Oregon history. In 1967, the first “Gala” social evening event was held, with proceeds going to the development of a Children’s Room in the downstairs Assembly Room, and a Periodical Room. By adding these rooms, the library almost doubled its usable space. Still further expansion became necessary, though, to provide enough space for books, patrons and offices. So, in 1990, the library moved to a new location at 950 Main Street. The old Carnegie building was then used for several years as a home for the Polk County History Museum, then for the City’s Parks and Recreation Programs. After a considerable period of vacancy, the City sold the building to a private party who conducted a very sensitive restoration of the building with the assistance of the Dallas Downtown Association and Oregon’s Main Street Program. The building now houses a popular local private school.
KEY REFERENCES:
- Glenn Knight, Dallas Public Library: A History, Published 1978