The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh was founded by 
Andrew Carnegie in 1895. On November 25, 1881, Mr. 
Carnegie offered to give $250,000 for a free library in Pitts- 
burgh, provided the city would agree to appropriate the sum 
of $15,000 annually for its maintenance. At that time the 
city had no power to raise money by taxation for the main- 
tenance of such an institution, but in 1887, the enabling act 
was passed by the Legislature, and Mr. Carnegie was notified 
that the city was able to perform its part if he would renew 
his offer. In February 1890, Mr. Carnegie offered to expend 
not less than $1,000,000 on condition that the city would 
bind itself to place in the hands of the board of trustees of the 
library, at least $40,000 annually. With this larger offer 
to an enlarged city, Mr. Carnegie suggested the erection of 
branch library buildings. 
The ordinance accepting the second proposition was 
passed on March 1, 1890. At the first meeting of the board 
of trustees, James B. Scott was made president, Henry C. 
Frick, treasurer, and William N. Frew, secretary. In 1891 
the city authorized the board of trustees to erect the main 
structure for the library on part of the nineteen acres of park 
land which had just been acquired from Mrs. Schenley. The 
building was dedicated to public use on November 5, 1895. 
In a few years after the opening of the Central Library 
building, it became clear that it was outgrown; whereupon 
Mr. Carnegie gave another gift of $5,000,000 for the recon- 
struction of the building. The plans for the extension 
provided new quarters for the Department of Fine Arts and 
the Department of the Museum. The enlarged building, 
as it stands today, was formally opened to the public in 
April 1907. 
This building stands on Forbes street at the entrance to 
Schenley Park, just beyond Forbes Field. The building 
is three stories in height and covers approximately four 
acres. The walls are a light gray sandstone, and the archi- 
tecture is a modification of the Italian Renaissance. The 
walls are surmounted by a bronze cornice, below which, 
carved in the stone of the frieze, are the names of men dis- 
tinguished in the fields of literature, music, art and science.