Mount Vernon Public Library

The Mount Vernon Public Library was chartered by the State of New York in March, 1896. Andrew Carnegie, the retired steel tycoon and benefactor of libraries, donated $50,000 in 1904 that allowed for the building to be constructed on its present site. The library, a neoclassical Revival style building, was designed by Edward L. Tilton, a noted architect in the design of libraries. The Westchester Woman's Club played a strong advocacy role in the building of the library and the establishment of the Children's Department. New additions were made to the Library in 1909 and 1925. The first was financed by another Carnegie gift of $20,000 and the second by a school bond issue of $125,000. In 1929, another school bond issue of $125,000 was voted to purchase adjacent property to provide room for expansion. In the late 1930's, a building program was undertaken that shaped the Library, as we know it today. Ground was broken in 1937 for the third addition to the building, a new South wing. Work was completed in 1938. In 1958, the library became the Central Library of the newly formed Westchester Library System. It is the largest Library in Westchester County and the sixth largest in New York State. Starting with about 5,000 books in 1896, the Library's collection houses over more than 500,000 volumes and subscribes to approximately 800 current magazines, journals and newspapers.