History

Andrew Carnegie provided a grant of $10,000, on December 30, 1901, for the construction of a Carnegie Library building facing the town square in Newnan, Georgia. A teenager, Charles L. Thompson, from this Georgia town actually sought this library grant directly from Andrew Carnegie! Given early in the Carnegie Library grant program, this was one of the first Carnegie Library grants in the state of Georgia and was provided to a town that had not previously had a public library. It is also, likely, the oldest surviving Carnegie Library building in the state. The cornerstone for the Library was laid on August 4, 1903. The Carnegie Library opened to the public in 1904. The building served as a library until 1987 when a new facility was constructed on Hospital Road. With its iconic lighted sign that states the City of Homes on top of the building, citizens recognize the Carnegie when they drive through historic downtown. Newly restored by the City of Newnan, the Carnegie has brought back library services in the downtown area. The bottom floor of the building serves as a reading room and the second floor as a meeting space. Among its many offerings, the Carnegie brings popular magazines and newspapers, computer workstations and wifi access, a gallery for local exhibits, meeting rooms with a warming kitchen, and programs for adults and children. The Carnegie was funded by the General Fund and partly by the 2007 Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). The Carnegie’s cost to be renovated was over $1.5 million dollars to the city. Headley Construction Corporation served as the general contractor on the project. Architectural services were provided by Carter Watkins Associates who succeeded in creating an interior design that was period correct for the early 1900s.  To find out more about the grassroots group that worked tirelessly to bring the Carnegie back as a library please visit the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation page.