Project Details:

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Andrew Carnegie provided a grant of $10,000, on December 30, 1901, for construction of a Carnegie Library building facing the town square in Newnan, Georgia. This was one of the first Carnegie Library grants in the state of Georgia and was provided to a town which had not previously had a public library. It is also, likely, the oldest surviving Carnegie Library building in the state. The cornerstone for the Library was laid on 1903 August 4. The Carnegie Library opened to the public in 1904. With its iconic lighted sign that states the ‘City of Homes’ on top  of the building, citizens recognize the Carnegie when they drive through historic downtown today.

 

Newly restored by the City of Newnan, the Carnegie has brought back library type services in the downtown area. The bottom floor of the building serves as a reading room and the second floor as a meeting space. Among its many offerings, the Carnegie brings popular magazines and newspapers, computer workstations and Wi-Fi access, a gallery for local exhibits, meeting rooms with warming kitchen and programs for adults and children. The Carnegie will serve the public with a non-circulating reading room, children’s area, and an art gallery. It seeks to be an integral part of the community by offering print and electronic materials.

 

The Carnegie was funded by the General Fund and partly by 2007 Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). The Carnegie’s cost to be renovated was over $1.5 million dollars to the city.

 

Headley Construction served as the general contractor on the project, with architectural services provided by Carter Watkins Associates. The team succeeded in creating an interior design that was period correct for the early 1900’s while adapting the two-story, wood-framed, load-bearing brick exterior building for use as a Community Library and Conference Center. 

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Services Performed:

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General Contracting, Value Engineering, Site Development, Demolition, Utilities, Landscaping, Site Concrete, CMU and Brick Masonry, Structural + Misc Steel. Metal Stud Trusses, Elevator, Finish Carpentry, Cabinets, Waterproofing, Insulation, Metal Roofing, TPO Roof, EIFS Sealants, Doors + Hardware, Painting, Wall Coverings, Toilet Partitions, Kitchen Equipment, Window Blinds and Shutters, Kitchen Equipment, MEP’s

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Photos by Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation