By any standards, the original Mansfield Carnegie Library on Third Street is a classic jewel of American civic architecture.
It is a purely 20th century synthesis of Greek and Roman designs, that was grafted into our cityscape with the intention of imbuing our city with ancient cultural sophistication.
It is Old World wisdom informing present day cutting-edge vision.
We were fortunate to receive such a gift 100 years ago, and we are even more fortunate that it is still here today, as the institution blossomed into the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library.
Here is a brief photo essay to tell the story of how this beloved landmark came to grace our city, and how it evolved to what we see today.
