East Lake Community Library

The East Lake Community Library is one of 14 branch libraries formerly in the Minneapolis Public Library System and now one of 40 branch libraries in the Hennepin County Library System in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Three different buildings have housed the library since 1924.cite web|title=Hennepin County Library-East Lake|url=http://www.mplib.org/eastlake.asp|date=2007-02-20|publisher=Hennepin County Library System|accessdate=2008-04-26]

First East Lake

Infobox_nrhp | name =East Lake Branch Library
nrhp_type =


caption = The first East Lake building, now a store
location= Minneapolis, Minnesota
lat_degrees = 44
lat_minutes = 56
lat_seconds = 56
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 93
long_minutes = 13
long_seconds = 44
long_direction = W
locmapin = Minnesota
area =
built =1924
architect= Jerome Paul Jackson, Splady & Hagonson
architecture= Tudor Revival
added = May 26, 2000
governing_body = Private
refnum=00000542cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

The first East Lake Community Library opened in February, 1924, between the Hosmer Community Library and Roosevelt Community Library, which is modeled closely after East Lake.cite book|last=Benidt|first=Bruce Weir|title=The Library Book|publisher=Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center|location=Minneapolis|date=1984|isbn=0-9613716-0-9] Situated on Lake Street, it featured simple architecture and a skylight. Because of its appearance, seemingly like a storefront, the library was called a 'Reading Factory'. East Lake was one of the last libraries built in a library 'building boom' that Minneapolis experienced starting in 1905 and ending in 1937.cite paper|title=1st East Lake Library|publisher=Minneapolis Public Library|date=2007|accessdate=2008-04-09]

The first East Lake remained until the mid 1970s when the need for a new, larger library grew. By 1974, East Lake was circulating 121,459 items and fielding tens of thousands of reference questions.cite book|title=Minneapolis Public Library Annual Report 1974|location=Minneapolis|publisher=Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center|last=Dyar|first=Mary|date=1974] In 1976, the library closed and the second incarnation opened. In 1990, Northern Sun Merchandising purchased the building and runs it there to this day. In 2000, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

econd East Lake

The second East Lake was built two blocks west of the original library. It had convert|15116|sqft|0 of space and 30,000 volumes. It also had a convert|2390|sqft|0 meeting room. The building was built by the Minnehaha Mall which included a Target and SuperValu store, and helped bring growth to the area. It served patrons of the Longfellow and Phillips neighborhoods well (second in circulation numbers to only Washburn Community Library), although by the turn of the century, the building was beginning to show wear.cite book|title=Outlook Twenty Ten|last=Ryan|first=Amy|publisher=Minneapolis Public Library|date=1999|location=Minneapolis]

In 1999,a plan called Outlook Twenty Ten outlined some options for the renewal of the library:

Option A

Option A called for a convert|6000|sqft|0 expansion to the building, which was to cost almost $3 million.

Option B

Option B outlined a convert|7000|sqft|0 expansion and the acquisition of neighboring properties. This was to allow greater creative flexibility in the designation of a new library building. It was to cost almost $3 million.

Option C

Option C simply had the library repaired and slightly renovated. No cost was projected.

Third East Lake

None of Outlook Twenty Ten's original suggestions were followed, and on 30 Apr. 2005, the second East Lake was closed to make way for the third building. The newest East Lake was modeled after Minneapolis's Central Library which at the time was also under construction. It featured a glass and metal exterior and was designed by KKE Architects. It is the only green branch library in the system.cite web|title=East Lake Library|url=http://www.mplib.org/elfactsheet2007.pdf|date=2007-01-19|accessdate=2008-04-26|publisher=Minneapolis Public Library]

The library opened on January 10, 2007. It includes a teen area, a small business/entrepreneurial knoll and fully automated checkout systems.

References