by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
$10,000 award honors Fort Collins’ Carnegie legacy and supports modern library services
FORT COLLINS — Poudre River Public Library District will receive a $10,000 gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York as part of Carnegie Libraries 250, a national initiative marking the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and recognizing the continued impact of Carnegie-funded libraries nationwide.
The award connects Northern Colorado’s library system to a legacy that dates back more than a century. In 1903, a Carnegie grant helped build Fort Collins’ first public library at 200 Mathews Street—today home to the Center for Creativity—which opened its doors in 1904 with fewer than 3,000 books. That early investment laid the groundwork for the modern library services residents rely on today.
“Carnegie believed that a free public library was the best possible gift for a community,” said Diane Lapierre, executive director of Poudre Libraries. “We’re honored to use the funds to further Carnegie’s vision and benefit our community through essential spaces, services, and collections.”
As Fort Collins grew, so did the demand for library access. By the 1970s, a new facility opened at 201 Peterson Street—now the Old Town Library—expanding capacity and reflecting the community’s increasing reliance on public library services for education, creativity, and connection.
Nationwide, industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of more than 1,600 public libraries between 1886 and 1917. Colorado is home to more than three dozen of these historic libraries, including Fort Collins’, many of which continue to serve residents today—some in their original buildings, others in expanded locations.
Residents interested in the local history of public libraries can explore the Fort Collins History Connection, an online collaboration between the Library District and the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, at https://history.fcgov.com/visit/library-history.
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Source: Poudre River Public Library District
