About
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Address: 347 East 36 th Street
Neighborhood: Central
Construction Date: 1916
Contractor: James H. Brown and Co.
Architect: Henry D. Whitefield
Architectural Style: Tudor Revival
Historic Use: Public - Library Branch
Current Use: Public - Library Branch
Date of Local Designation: 1997
Date of National Register Designation: 1990
Area(s) of Significance: Social History, Historic Personages, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1916- 1949
Historic Profile: In the first quarter of the twentieth century, as rapidly growing immigrant populations flocked to Minneapolis, the Hosmer Branch of the Public Library provided an accommodating community and educational center for the new residents. At the time of its construction in 1916, the Hosmer Branch stood in a sparsely developed residential Scandinavian neighborhood. Only a block away from the new Central High School, Hosmer represented the expansion of municipal services toward the outskirts of the city. Hosmer Library Branch remains a lasting example of the legacy of head librarian Gratia Countryman. Countryman, who was responsible for the development of thirteen neighborhood branch libraries during her tenure, believed that a library should be, "More than just an intellectual warehouse; it should be a social force that would intervene in people’s lives to improve their welfare." Aided by funding from the Carnegie Corporation, the Hosmer Branch has been a focal point of the neighborhood with its distinguished Tudor revival architecture.
Photo Credits:
1920, courtesy of Minneapolis Public Libraries
2006, Minneapolis CPED
Updated: February 2007