Mount Pleasant Library History

The Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Library at 1600 Lamont St. N.W. opened in May 1925, and is the third oldest public library building still in use in Washington. Construction of the Mount Pleasant Branch was funded primarily by the Carnegie Corporation. The library was built to serve the rapidly growing communities of Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights. The architect, Edward L. Tilton of New York, was an accomplished library designer who planned numerous Carnegie-funded libraries nationwide. The library site at Lamont and 16th streets was made available for purchase by Mary Foote Henderson, who was instrumental in the development of 16th Street in the early 20th century. The Italian Renaissance design of the building harmonizes with the monumental architecture of the churches and embassies that line 16th Street. The Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Library stands in the Mount Pleasant National Register Historic District designated in 1987.

The Mount Pleasant Library was the third and last D.C. Neighborhood Library to be built with Carnegie funding. Andrew Carnegie had funded the construction of the Central Library and, at its dedication in 1903, he offered to finance branch buildings as they were needed. Congress was slow to authorize the acceptance of his offer. In 1910, it authorized acceptance of funds for the first Carnegie Neighborhood Library, which opened in Takoma Park in 1911. By the time the Board of Library Trustees next sought funds for a Neighborhood Library, Carnegie had died without providing in his will for the construction of additional libraries. The Carnegie Corporation honored the promise by granting the Trustees’ requests for the funding of two more branches, the Southeast Branch in 1921 and Mount Pleasant in 1923.

The Board of Library Trustees approached Congress in 1922 for a $25,000 appropriation to purchase a site for a Neighborhood Library in Mount Pleasant. The District’s head librarian, George F. Bowerman, recommended that Edward L. Tilton be retained as architect. Tilton had designed the recently constructed Southeast Branch and had served as the architect for many Carnegie-funded libraries. The Carnegie Corporation allotted $100,000, but the estimated construction cost of Tilton’s plans, reviewed by the Board in April 1923, was over $160,000. The D.C. Commissioners and the Library Trustees asked the Corporation for additional funds “in order to erect a larger Neighborhood Library, with the thought that the size and character of the population to be served will develop a use of that branch only slightly less than the use of the central library.” They were awarded an additional $100,000.

Edward L. Tilton (1861-1933) was a native of New York who had trained in the office of the renowned firm of McKim, Mead & White and at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. In 1890, Tilton established his own firm with partner William A. Boring, and together they were responsible for the design of the U.S. Immigration Station on Ellis Island that won the Gold Medal Prize at the Paris Exposition in 1900. Tilton developed a specialty designing libraries across the United States, including the Pack Memorial Library in Asheville, N.C., the Springfield (Mass.) Public Library, and the library of Emory University and the Knight Memorial Library in Providence, R.I.

Through his friendship with Andrew Carnegie's personal secretary, James Bertram, Tilton was well placed to obtain commissions to design Carnegie-funded libraries. Tilton advertised himself as a proficient library designer who could promise completion of his buildings on or under budget. He published articles on library design and favored ground floor stack space with reading room above. He was known for paying careful attention to the needs of modern libraries while designing buildings with classic architectural detail. He often drew on the Italian Renaissance for inspiration, particularly early in his career.

By 1905, Tilton had designed five libraries for Carnegie-funded projects, and he did many more over the course of his career. Tilton and Boring’s partnership was dissolved in 1904, but they continued to share an office until Boring retired in 1915. In 1920, Tilton took another partner, Alfred T. Githens, and continued his work with libraries. He was awarded an American Institute of Architect's (AIA) Gold Medal in 1925 for his library designs, and his firm, Tilton & Githens, won a gold medal for the public library in Wilmington, Del., in 1930.

As designed by Tilton, the Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Library was a two-story building with basement built of Indiana limestone and a ceramic tile roof. Stairs lead up to an arcaded entrance on the main floor and two wings angle back from the entrance to give the facade a gentle curve. A contemporary account described it as “a building modeled after the Massimi palace in Rome. A distinguishing feature will be an outdoor reading room, which in winter will be closed in with great windows [This room, later known as the sun room, was enclosed year round.]...Another feature is to be a great rear staircase, part of which will be in the open, which will lead directly to the children’s room on the second floor. Every provision found good in modern library construction will be incorporated in the Mount Pleasant Branch.”

An article in the Library Journal of 1926 described the design as "resembl[ing] an exclusive club rather than a library. Long windows draped with heavy curtains, arm chairs, floor lamps, fire places and a large sun parlor are among the architectural features which break away from conventional library practice." The library’s innovative and elaborate features were the subject of professional interest when it opened. The library building retains many of its original architectural features because, due to continual funding problems throughout its history, it has never undergone major renovations. There are later additions, however, most notably the murals in the children’s room. In 1934, the Public Works of Art Project of the Civil Works Administration commissioned Aurelius Battaglia to paint murals that featured circus animals playing in a band. Battaglia later worked for Disney studios where his work included the film “Dumbo.”

The Mount Pleasant library opening on May 15, 1925, was attended by thousands, but the services of the library were limited due to lack of funding. Hours were 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays except for a half-day on Wednesday. The children’s room did not open until a year later because Congress had cut the requested funding for a staff of 21 to 12.

Over the Mount Pleasant Library’s years of service, its librarians have sought to meet the changing needs of the neighborhood patrons as the demographics of the area changed. Soon after the library opened, its first librarian, Margery Quigley, reported that, “The branch roster shows a fair number of what in the mauve decade were termed ‘carriage families.’ The great majority of borrowers, however, are old folks, many from neighboring institutions, ‘roomers’ and persons genteel but decidedly not prosperous....Out of a total of approximately 155,000 adult circulation, fiction numbers 103,000 volumes or 66%.” The Depression increased the number of library patrons. Circulation rose to 442,000 in 1937-38, but after the opening of the Petworth Branch in 1939, circulation at Mount Pleasant leveled off to 250,000.

A librarian’s report for 1953-54 described heavy reference use of the library, particularly by students. Library users were described as quite self-sufficient. The sun room had been dedicated to books for young adults, and their use of the library was increasing. However, the report noted that despite increasing use of the children’s room, annual circulation had declined to 177,000. It cited the opening of the Cleveland Park Library as the major reason but also listed the lack of parking, an increase in bus fares, and a “changing neighborhood.” The 1957-58 annual report talked of “neighborhood blight” with low-income and often transient families replacing middle-income ones. It noted that the branch was now used to a much greater extent for studying and less for browsing and that there was greater emphasis on books relating to employment. In addition, a growing number of users needed help using the catalogue and reference tools. The report also noted that the library continued to serve a large number of older patrons.

In 1970, the annual report noted that the community was, in general, a low-income one and that the library served three main groups of readers: “a diminishing small group of elderly white people...generally lonely and poor;” “a Black majority most of whom, but by no means all, are culturally deprived;” and “non-English speaking persons, mostly Spanish speaking,... [including] a large group of functional illiterates, usually persons from rural backgrounds with little formal education in their own language.”

In the late 1960s, the library began increasing its Spanish collection, and in 1969, a Cuban immigrant, Alberto Irabien, was hired first as a readers’ advisor and then as librarian. The Spanish books were moved to the sun room and many efforts were made to reach out to the Hispanic community. The 1975 report noted that the main groups served by the library were the black majority, the non-English speaking, a few elderly white people and a growing number of young white families, some Asian and African students, and a new generation of blacks with high income and more formal education. Consequently, a Black Studies collection was created. Other heavily used books were do-it-yourself titles, civil service test booklets, the Spanish language collection, and the reference works used by students. Recreational reading slowly declined.

The 1984 report described the past decade as “a struggle for survival.” It noted that because of budgetary difficulties in fiscal year 1984, “the children’s room on the second floor was closed, personnel were cut more than 50 percent and book funds ignored the branch’s urgent needs.” The report also described further changes in the neighborhood and their effect on the library: “The branch finally became an international library where we serve more library users from Africa and Asia than from Latin America. Even the traditional population has a new face: More young people who are white have moved their families in and more well-educated black families with good incomes have settled around the branch.”

The Mount Pleasant library was renovated in 1984. The library was made accessible to handicapped patrons and it was cleaned and repainted. Carpeting was installed in the reading rooms. The report for 1985-86 noted that circulation and head count had doubled “due to the general renovation of the building, becoming an international library and much better education of the patrons.”

Another of the library’s important services to the community has been the provision of meeting room space. This service was incorporated in the original design, which included a “good sized auditorium with provision for serving light refreshments...for the use of the neighborhood citizens’ and parent-teachers’ associations.” The room, which seated 150, has been heavily used by community groups from the earliest days of the library. In the first years, it was used by various civic, dramatic and literary groups, including both the Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights Citizens Associations. The use has changed with the times. In 1969-70, at least six of the 19 groups meeting in the conference room (for a total of 329 meetings) were involved in anti-poverty programs. The auditorium was also used to provide entertainment. A film festival was inaugurated in 1964 and later, in the 1970s, there was a family film night. In the 1984 renovation, a new ceiling and lights were installed in the meeting room, which has been used less in recent years for entertainment.

The library has regular children’s story programs and provides access to a public meeting room.
The Friends of the Mount Pleasant Library was organized in 1982. Friends encourages use of the library, makes donations, supports its physical rehabilitation and maintenance, and assists in providing volunteer help for the library. It has sponsored book sales, organized lecture programs and created a Homework, Assistance and Tutoring (HAT) program for residents to work with neighborhood children.