McMinnville Public Library

225 NW Adams Street  |  Built 1913

In 1910, members of the Ladies Civic Improvement Club operated McMinnville’s public library
on the second floor of the Wright Building at Third and Davis streets. These dedicated women
kept books circulating for the growing community despite tight quarters and limited funds.
The following year, the City Council passed an ordinance that created a library board and
provided tax support for a permanent building. In 1912, the board chose the southeast corner of
City Park as the site and secured a $10,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie.

Portland architect Ernst Kroner designed the structure, and the firm Wineland & Co. won the
construction bid of $8,880. The Oregon Fire Relief Association (later Oregon Mutual
Insurance) insured the new building for $4,000. Completed in March 1913, the rectangular
block, brick structure faces north toward the park beneath a low-pitched hipped roof. A
stained-glass lunette above the original entry displays a design of fir trees, a lamp and the
words, “Carnegie Library 1912.” The year, 1912, refers to the Carnegie grant date.

McMinnville’s Carnegie Library stands as one of 24 built in Oregon and one of roughly 1,280
surviving Carnegie libraries in the United States. In 1982, workers added a 14,800-square-foot
expansion and breezeway that greatly increased space while preserving the historic core.
Longtime librarian Rose Marie Caughran, known affectionately as “the Tree Lady,” served more
than 30 years and created a native plant garden on the east side in 1983. Mature trees still shade
the grounds, including Douglas firs, a coast redwood, and the towering giant sequoia known as
“Big Mac,” the city’s Christmas Tree.

For images of the the property, and further details, check out the link below:

Historic Resources Inventory Documentation