Oregon Public Library
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Oregon Public Library
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The Oregon Public Library in January 2007.
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| Location | 300 Jefferson St., Oregon, Illinois |
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| Coordinates | 42°00′48.7″N 89°19′53.9″W / 42.013528°N 89.331639°WCoordinates: 42°00′48.7″N 89°19′53.9″W / 42.013528°N 89.331639°W |
| Built | 1909 |
| Architect | Pond and Pond |
| Architectural style | Arts & Crafts, Classical Revival |
| Part of | Oregon Commercial Historic District (#06000713) |
| MPS | MPL015 - Illinois Carnegie Libraries Multiple Property Submission |
| NRHP Reference # | 03000352 |
| Added to NRHP | May 9, 2003 |
The Oregon Public Library is located in Oregon, Illinois, United States, the county seat of Ogle County. The building is a public library that was constructed in 1909. Prior to 1909, Oregon's library was housed in different buildings, none of which were designed to house a library. The library was built using a grant from wealthy philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The grant was obtained after Oregon's citizens voted to change Oregon's library from a city library to a township library. The building was completed by 1908 but the library did not begin operation until 1909.
The Oregon Library was designed by Chicago architects Pond and Pond. The Ponds were members of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony, founded by Lorado Taft, and their association with Taft and the colony led them to design the library. Their design was influenced by the colony, and a combination of two architectural styles, Classical Revival and the Arts and Crafts movement. The completed library included a second floor art gallery to which members of Eagle's Nest donated works for a permanent collection. The gallery's collection includes 64 paintings and sculptures as well as a Currier and Ives lithograph collection appraised at US$700,000. The Oregon Public Library was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2003, three years later it was included as a contributing property in a historic district that received the National Register designation.
While the library building dates to the early 20th century the move toward intellectual outreach in Oregon started years before. The first Oregon library was organized in 1872, though it had no building of its own. Before the library had its own building, library books were stored in a drug store and then in the County Treasurer's office. Eventually the Oregon Library occupied rented office space in the First National Bank building. This situation persisted until 1905 when Oregon voters voiced their collective opinion on the library's future.
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