Main Library (Columbus, Ohio)

Main Library
West facade plaza and Peter Pan fountain
Map
39°57′40″N 82°59′22″W / 39.961238°N 82.989516°W / 39.961238; -82.989516
Location96 S. Grant Avenue
Columbus, Ohio, United States
TypePublic library
Branch ofColumbus Metropolitan Library
Collection
Size300,000 items[1]
Other information
Public transit accessBus transport Central Ohio Transit Authority 10, 11
Bike transport CoGo
WebsiteOfficial website
Architecture
Built1903–1906,
dedicated April 4, 1907 (1907-04-04)
ArchitectAlbert Randolph Ross
Architectural style(s)Beaux-Arts[2]

The Main Library of the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) system is located in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States. The public library is the largest in the library system and holds approximately 300,000 volumes. It includes numerous rooms, including separate spaces for children, teens, an adult reading room, newspaper room, auditorium, gallery, gift shop, and a cafe. The third floor includes a computer lab and houses the Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society.

The library building was proposed as early as 1901 when the public used a reading room in Columbus's city hall. In 1903, Andrew Carnegie largely funded its construction, making it a Carnegie library. The library was designed by Albert Randolph Ross in the Beaux-Arts style, using white Vermont marble. The building opened in 1907. It was first expanded in 1953 and 1961, followed by a 1991 addition and the demolition of the two prior structures; the process tripled the building's size. In 2015 and 2016, another renovation took place to increase reader space, add to its west lawn, join the building to Topiary Park at its east, and clad most of the 1991 building in glass.

  1. ^ Narciso, Dean (June 18, 2016). "Main Library ready to show off its $35 million renovation". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference AIA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).