ABOUT MPL
Marion Public Library was founded in 1884, and it has been at the corner of Washington and 6th streets since 1902.
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Industrialist Andrew Carnegie provided $50,000 for the building, provided the city would pledge at least $5,000 a year toward the library.
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The original library's ornate features - including marble floors and delicate plaster work - remain, despite renovations and additions over the decades.
The building became undersized and the roof inadequate for modern building requirements. The library purchased adjacent properties until it owned the entire block bounded by Washington, Boots, 6th, and 7th streets.
Ground broke for the new building in 1989, and it opened in 1991. The original Carnegie Building was refurbished into the Museum, and it became home to Indiana History and Genealogy.
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The combined facilities carry about 150,000 books and audio-visual materials.