Detroit Public Library's history marks 160 years of books and community resources
The Detroit Public Library has reached its 160th anniversary, having officially opened on March 25, 1865.
The initial collection of 5,000 books was kept in a room of the old Capitol High School on Griswold Street, according to history notes on the library's website. A committee from the Detroit Board of Education governed the library until 1881 when the Detroit Library Commission was formed.
The first dedicated library building opened in 1877 in Centre Park, on the site of the current Skillman Branch library.
The first branches opened in 1900 inside Central High School, Harris School on the east side and Western High School.
The new main library building on Woodward Avenue opened in 1921. Architect Cass Gilbert designed the Italian Renaissance-style library building. Construction was partially funded by a gift from Andrew Carnegie, whose philanthropic efforts included financial support. over 1,600 libraries across the United States.
The Cass Avenue wing expansion opened in 1963.
Today, the library system's 23 branches and its mobile library service provide books and resources for the community along with study spaces, book clubs, cultural programming, career and employment help, obituary searches and publicly available computers.
