Public Library Restoration and Expansion

The Public Library of Steubenville & Jefferson County was the first Ohio library funded by Andrew Carnegie. At the inception of this project, the Steubenville Library’s Main Branch was the only library in the state of Ohio that was not accessible. Providing accessibility in a manner that respected the historic architecture was a critical goal for what grew into an expansion that allowed the library to address additional space needs and community service issues.

A new, street-level entrance on a cross street was designed to meet the project’s primary goal of creating an accessible entrance. It feeds into an open atrium that links the new spaces with the original building and provides circulation to all levels. The project exposed an original, historic façade that frames the atrium and is used by the library as a backdrop to display community and library relics.

The renewal and expansion of the 117-year-old Carnegie Library reinvigorated a vital community asset with new space, an accessible entrance, and modern technologies to support new library programs and activities. New spaces included a bright children’s library, a new reading room that looks into the original building, and a community room for classes and gatherings such as social events and activities. The project preserved and enhanced the historic building and elements of the original building are referenced in the addition’s materials and shape.