History Restored
The Sesame Club’s Vision
The Sesame Club, predecessor of the Waukegan Woman’s Club, was formed by nine of Waukegan’s most prominent women on February 19, 1894. The Sesame Club was created to help the individual advancement of the city’s citizens. After a month, the group’s intentions evolved to establish a free public library. When locals met their enthusiasm for a free library with skepticism, the Club replied: "It must and will come."
Thanks to the efforts of the Sesame Club, the Waukegan Library Association incorporated on July 11, 1895. Citizens, clubs, and board members donated books and members paid a fee to join the library after it opened in a small space in the Slyfield Building on Washington Street. The Club members served as librarians and personally kept the library open two days a week.
After a successful few years, with the goal still being a free and public library, the Club transferred the Library Association and all the books to the city. On March 14, 1898, the Waukegan Public Library Board was formed.
Andrew Carnegie’s Approval
Around 1900, on behalf of the City of Waukegan, attorney A. K. Stearns wrote to Andrew Carnegie requesting $25,000 to build a library, “a stone building which would be both a monument to your own benevolence and a guiding post in the lives of the sons and daughters of our great industries.” The reply from Carnegie’s secretary explained that Mr. Carnegie would give $25,000 for the building as long as the city provided a site for the library and supported it with tax money equal to 10% of the gift.
Andrew Carnegie, the Patron Saint of Libraries, was an icon of the American industrial age, amassing a fortune in the steel industry. Carnegie believed that it was the obligation of the wealthy to use their surplus capital to raise the living standards of the poor.
Carnegie wrote, “I choose free public libraries as the best agencies of improving the masses of the people, because they give nothing for nothing. They only help those who help themselves. They reach the aspiring, and open to these the chief treasures of the world—those stored up in books.” Andrew Carnegie gave more than $56 million dollars to establish over 2,509 libraries and other institutions of higher learning around the world.
Building the Library
The Waukegan Public Library Board chose a Classical Revival style design for the library by Chicago architects Normand S. Patton and Grant C. Miller. Patton and Miller would design over 100 Carnegie libraries across the nation, and 15 in Illinois.
Patton and Miller’s challenge in Waukegan was to design the building based on the unique land chosen for the site: the edge of a bluff and on a corner. The land was donated to the city by Oliver S. Lincoln.
The Library Opens
Construction of the Waukegan Carnegie took less than one year. On October 1, 1903, the library was dedicated. The Waukegan Daily Sun wrote that public schools dismissed early, and shops closed so that everyone could attend the ceremony at two o’clock.
End of an Era
The Waukegan Carnegie served the people of Waukegan for over 60 years. By the 1960s, its patrons had outgrown the building, and many were calling for a larger library to be built. In 1903, the library held 5,138 books. By 1963, the number had grown to over 80,000. The new Waukegan Public Library opened on the southwest corner of Clayton and County Streets on December 27, 1965.
Preservation
The Waukegan Carnegie was used only occasionally after it closed as a library. By 1992, a threat of demolition loomed as the building had been vacant for many years.
Spurred to action to save the Waukegan Carnegie from the wrecking ball, community members gathered. The Carnegie Preservation Project, Inc. formed and successfully acquired the building and saved it for the future.
Recognition
In 2005, after much hard work and dedication by the Carnegie Preservation Project, Inc., the Waukegan Carnegie Library was granted local historic landmark status by the City of Waukegan.
Adding to its historical significance, the Waukegan Carnegie Library was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
Turning the Page
In 2018, the Waukegan Historical Society and Waukegan Park District began quiet discussions about acquiring the Waukegan Carnegie Library. A detailed study of the building concluded that once restored, the Waukegan Carnegie could house the expanded history and operational needs of the Historical Society and Park District.
In 2019, a private charitable foundation donated five million dollars to help make the project a reality. In total, over 13 million dollars was raised through private funding and grants.
Ownership of the Waukegan Carnegie Library was transferred to the Waukegan Park District on August 13, 2020.
Restored!
The Historical Society and Park District worked with Chicago historic preservation architectural firm, Harboe Architects for the design, restoration, and adaptive reuse of the Waukegan Carnegie.
Throughout the 5-year restoration process a great attention to detail was maintained, and efforts were made to preserve and restore original materials such as wood trim, picture rails, window frames, doors, hardware, and laylights.
Lost materials were meticulously recreated to ensure the building reflected its original appearance. Research found the original paint colors and plaster finishes, as well as the technique used in the original construction. Historic features such as the terrazzo stairs and the ornate fireplace mantels that were damaged or lost over time were repaired or recreated. The new addition accommodates modern needs to house amenities such as an elevator and an accessible entrance, blending the historical charm with contemporary convenience.
Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie
With construction now complete, the Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie is a world-class history museum in a landmark downtown building, overlooking the lakefront. This vibrant, welcoming learning center will connect and tell the stories of our diverse community as it promises to help revitalize our city.