About
Interior and Exterior
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Address: 2901 Hennepin Avenue
Neighborhood: East Isles
Construction Year: 1911
Contractor: Unknown
Architect: Jerome Paul Jackson
Architectural Style: Beaux Arts
Historic Use: Public - library branch
Current Use: Commercial - Retail
Date of Local Designation: 1997
Date of National Register Designation: 2000
Area(s) of Significance: Social History, Historic Person
Period of Significance: 1911-1981
Historic Profile: When the Walker Branch of the Minneapolis Public Libraries opened in 1911, the Hennepin/Lake commercial corridor was sparsely developed. T.B. Walker, President of the Library Board, donated the property situated at the end of the Mall Boulevard to help establish the importance of libraries in developing communities. Walker’s donations assisted Gratia Countryman, the first female chief librarian in Minneapolis, in fulfilling her mission of expanding the library system and bringing books closer to people. The opening of the Walker Library coincided with the expansion of a streetcar line on Lake Street, bringing customers and library patrons to the area. Minneapolis architect Jerome Paul Jackson, who later designed Seven Corners and East Lake libraries, chose a stately Neoclassical design for the Walker. The entrance portico, framed by Ionic sandstone columns, masterfully displays Beaux-Arts characteristics. The popularity of the Walker Library Branch continued to grow, forcing the library to relocate in 1981.
Photo Credits:
1930, courtesy of Minneapolis Public Libraries
2006, Minneapolis CPED
Works Cited:
Landscape Research, "City of Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Registration Form," May 1996.
Updated: February 2007