Memorial Park Library

This is Central Memorial Library. It is one of over 2500 Public Library buildings in North America that was financed by American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It is also Alberta's first public library. The architects for the library were McLean and Wright of Boston. They modeled it on the Public Library in Attleboro, MA and the plans for both libraries are virtually identical. However, we’ll let you judge for yourself. You'll find a photo of the Attleboro library here. The library officially opened in 1912 with Alexander Calhoun as the first Chief Librarian. For the first three years, it hosted classes for the Calgary College. It also had a Natural History Museum and would later house the Glenbow and Muttart art galleries. Central Memorial was Calgary's only library until the 1950s and served as its main branch until 1963. In 1977 it was restored and renovated the library sits like a jewel at the east end of the park. Like nearby Lougheed House, it is built of sandstone. The structure is classical in design with a strong influence from the Beaux Art tradition. Its front entrance is flanked by ionic columns topped by an elaborately carved pediment. It also features balconies with iron railings and latticing on the second-story windows. The library is also significant for its copper roof, its Douglas fir floors, and its rich mahogany and birch trim.