Ardmore

CARTER COUNTY

Ardmore Carnegie Library Statistics:

The Carnegie Library grant amount was $15,000.00.

The Carnegie Library Grant was received in 1903 while Ardmore was an Indian Territory town.

Ground was broken in 1904 and the library was completed in 1905 as a two-story building.

The library opened, after some delays, on October 1, 1906.

It was the 3rd Carnegie built in Oklahoma.

The structure was greatly modified at some point in time, reducing it to the 1-story building seen today.

Current use is as a garden association meeting place.

    

The Carnegie Library In Ardmore

    The Carnegie Library in Ardmore was completed in 1905 with a grant amount of $15,000.00, while Ardmore was an Indian Territory town. The original structure was built with a classically influenced projecting portal with an unusual arched pediment rather than the more common triangular shape. Pairs of Ionic columns flank the doorway. Rusticated artificial stone was used in the walls rather than the more commonly used red or yellow brick. 

    The building was declared unsafe in in 1925 and remodeling was done at that time. This may be when the second story was removed and the front façade and doorway were changed. Polls of citizens and searches of historical files and newspapers in Ardmore failed to discover the exact details of the removal of the second floor. The Library was reopened November 6, 1926. This remodeling was well before the tornado of 1946 that damaged much of this part of Ardmore, and which many believe was the time of remodeling when the second floor was removed.

    The columns appear to have been reduced in size and continue to support the roof. A much more ornate doorway is now extent, whereas the original was somewhat simple in design. The new classical doorway, with an ornate triangular pediment above the doorway, is now surrounded by glass panels.

 The Ardmore Carnegie Library has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.