Civic Pride in a Lost America: Library Postcards
Carnegie Libraries of New York*
Cities P - Z
* Excluding New York City
** Excluding Long Island (Patchogue)
Penn Yan
Founded in 1895. Built from a 1903 grant, in 1905. The original Library is still in use--I think. The Library web page shows a new (or redone) building.
Lovely Rotograph card printed in Germany.
Perry
1912 grant. Built in 1914, and still in use. An addition houses an art gallery.
1935 Curt Teich linen finish card.
Port Jervis
Card also features the Port Jervis Elks Club.
1901 grant. The Free Public Library is still in use, serving the residents of the Port Jervis School District. It is part of the Ramapo Catskill Library System.
Saugerties
1914 Carnegie grant, still in use as a public library.
(L) Manhattan Post Card, mailed in 1936.
(L) Tichnor Quality View was made for Kingston News Service.
(R) Card printed by Curt Teich for Kingston Souvenir Co. It shows a charming interior view, although I'm a touch creeped out by the muskets and taxidermied fox tableau.
Schenectady
(L) Real photo postcard, never used.
(R) Unknown publisher, card mailed in 1913.
1903 Carnegie facility, also aided by a grant from General Electric. Replaced ca. 1969: the library now heads the Mohawk Valley Library Association.
The building is now a dormitory for Union College. I find that a rather amusing reuse.
Syracuse
This Beaux Arts building served as the Syracuse Public Library, 1905-1976. Today it has been superceded by the Onondaga County Public Library.
The Carnegie building is still standing.
Did you know Onondaga County PL began to use plastic cards in 1978? If you guessed right about that, do you remember its bookmobile recall by Chrysler?
1979, by the way.
Syracuse University also has a Carnegie library, serving as the Science and Technology Library.
Glossy card, imported by C.E. Wheelock of Peoria.
Mailed 1905.
Captioned:
Periodical Room, Syracuse Public Library
Newspaper and Magazine Racks furnished by Clarke & Baker Co., 258 Canal Street, New York.
Manufactured by Tucker File & Cabinet Company, Ilion, N.Y.
Warsaw
(L) The Earle H. Parker photo doesn't display the curvature of the front very clearly on the Albertype card.
The script at top reads:
George Yoron built it your mother
Cousin
It was addressed to R.P. Stack of Rockford.
(R) Monochrome card with an entire back. Unattributable.
(L) This Valentine-Souvenir card was rather old by the time it was mailed in 1946.
(R) This Albert M. Wilson card was mailed in 1911.
1904 grant. Per the Library's site, its architect was Albert Randolph Ross. Opened in 1906. Still in use, after a 1991 renovation.
Yonkers
1901 grant. Built in 1904. Demolished in 1981. After its eviction, for a street expansion, it moved first to an old department store, and then to the Otis Elevator Works building.
Definitely a history with its ups and downs.
(L) Souvenir Post Card with added glitter, mailed in 1906.
(R) Hugh C. Leighton card, mailed in 1908.
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