Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Allegheny Branch
Name of Building
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Allegheny Branch
Town or City, Country where the building was originally established
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date the building was designed and/or first built
Created: 1889
Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible
Smithmeyer and Pelz
Geo-Location
40.453273906810765, -80.0054183116302
Materials
granite (rock), glass
Architectural Type
Public
Formal Style
Richardsonian Romanesque
Building Description
The structure has a quadratic footprint, with morphed and rugged edges. It sports a clock tower near the bottom of the structure when viewed from above. It has several levels and rooms, with it housing around 1,100 individuals with just its auditorium alone. From this we get a greater understanding of the structure’s stature. It features several entrances throughout, including what appears to be one near the clock tower. Once more, the building materials that define the Richardsonian Romanesque style are prevalent. With that signature granite stone material as an exterior coat, it pairs with glass in the windows and arches around the structure to bring these prominent features to the forefront!! This building is also heavily inspired by the Allegheny courthouse, located a little ways away from it, and was the first Carnegie public library in the U.S. It has since been closed as a library and replaced with a different building but the structure is now reused mainly as a theater!
Creative Commons or other copyright information
Image 1: Creative Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Carnegie_Free_Library_of_Allegheny.jpg
Image 2: Creative Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Carnegie_Library_Allegheny_ReadingRoom_1900.jpg
Drawing 1: Creative Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/US-PA%281891%29_p735_ALLEGHENY_CITY%2C_CARNEGIE_LIBRARY.jpg
Student First and Last Name
Julian Forster
Bibliographic references for the item
Lu Donnelly et al., "Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Allegheny Branch", [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/PA-01-AL75.
Citation
Smithmeyer and Pelz, “Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Allegheny Branch,” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://www.worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/249.
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