Indy library's first update in 107 years

The East Washington branch of the Indianapolis Public Library, one of two remaining Carnegie libraries in the city, turns 107 this year.

While the city around it had changed, the two-story brick building with the terra-cotta gargoyles hadn't changed much. The library lacked elevators or ramps for accessibility, and the volume of librarygoers had outgrown the space.

But at 10 a.m. Friday, 2822 E. Washington St. will reopen after undergoing nearly a year of renovations. Improvements include a 2,200-square-foot computer-room expansion, updated bathrooms, a basement community space and a floor-level elevator. Before the $2.4 million renovation, the branch was the only one of the library's 24 branches to not meet Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.

"The main driving force of this was to get us handicapped accessible because it was the only branch that wasn't," branch manager Doriene Smither said.

The goal was to maintain the historical aesthetic of the building while bringing it up to 21st-century technology, Smither said. As library officials met with community members early on for feedback on the library's future design, it became clear neighbors wanted the building to preserve the history as much as possible.

"We could build a brand new building, but this is too big a part of our heritage," Indianapolis Public Library facilities project manager Mike Coghlan said.

The original circulation desk has been preserved, but not before it was taken out and refinished.

"It looked like it has been working for over 100 years," Smither said, laughing. "People were really concerned about this desk. But when the library opened, I'm pretty sure we didn't have a phone sitting on this desk."

Now, a Dell computer and a host of other electronic devices sit on the desk.

When the branch closed in April 2016, it relocated  to a temporary trailer about a block east, providing as many of services as possible in the space.

In the early 1900s, Andrew Carnegie donated $120,000 to build six Carnegie libraries in Indianapolis. The East Washington branch was the third of those, built for $20,000 and dedicated on Nov. 14, 1910. The Spades Park branch, 1801 Nowland Ave., is the only other remaining Carnegie library in the city.

Call IndyStar reporter Amy Bartner at (317) 444-6752. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.