Carnegie Library

Constructed in 1903 as a public library with $12,000 provided by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, the building that today houses the Fort Collins Museum opened to the public on August 24, 1904, with 3,900 books. Its facade was built of native red sandstone from local quarries near today's Horsetooth Reservoir. During the November 18, 1903, cornerstone ceremony, citizens sealed contemporary newspapers and other documents in a metal container and placed it in the stone as a time capsule of Fort Collins history. During the late 1930s, WPA workers built an addition on the east side that provided more space, including an auditorium. By 1975, the public library had outgrown the facility and construction began on a new main building on the east side of Library Park, and in 1977 the former Carnegie Library became home to the Fort Collins Museum.

Fort Collins, Colorado · United States