Berlin (Kitchener) Carnegie Library

Date grant received: January 18, 1902

Amount of grant received from the Carnegie Foundation: $14,280

Date library opened: January 8, 1904

Architect: A. H. Crocker

The library in what was then known a Berlin, Ontario began in 1854 as a Mechanics’ Institute. After years of operating as a subscription based library in 1884, the Berlin Town Council created a free public library. A reading room operated in Town Hall and had a book colleciton of about 3,000 volumes. The library continued to grow and the town applied for a grant from the Carnegie Foundation which was appoved in 1902. An additional grant was also approved and used for furnishings. The Berlin Public Library opened on January 8, 1904.

The building was renovated in 1916 to include a wing for a Children's Library, a second floor addition and a history room in the basement. The library remained at that location for 58 years as the community surrounding the library continued to grow and change. In May 1962, after seventeen years of planning a new Main Library was opened on Queen Street. The original Carnegie Library building was then demolished. Currently a high rise office building stands in the place where it once existed.

Visit the Kitchener Public Library website for a more detailed account of the library's history.

The above photos are courtesy of the Kitchener Public Library and the Waterloo Historical Society

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