1903 - 2009
Then and Now
The East Orange Library
We don't have a photo of the dedication of the East Orange
Library in 1903.This photo is from the early 1900's when there
were few automobiles and people walked or rode bicycles to the
library. For the few horses and buggies that needed to be
"parked," the street was sufficient and there were no
parking lots as we know them today.
The East Orange Public Library officially went into business
on January 22, 1903, mainly because a boyhood friend of Andrew
Carnegie lived in East Orange. Carnegie had made funds available
at that time for the development of library facilities in
communities which had none. His boyhood chum, Alexander King, was
a resident here and was instrumental in getting an initial grant
from Carnegie to build the Main Library. Notice the ivy covered
walls in this 1926 photo.
This photo of the Library's Main Reading Room, taken in 1913,
shows the grandeur of a time gone past. Today's libraries are
sterile and bleak by comparison.
Today (2009) the Carnegie Library has been converted into The
East Orange Municipal Court. The automobile has taken over the
streets and parking lots have to be built next to every public
building. We now know the damage that ivy can do to brick walls,
and after the restoration of the outer surface of the old
building, it seems that ivy will be banned from this new
building.
The side view shows how the original stairs were brought
"indoors." The huge marble "pillars" are not
decoration, but provide a measure of security for the front of
the building.
Further Resources of Interest on this
subject: