Fun Things to Know Before Visiting Milwaukee Public Library: History and Architecture

The Milwaukee Public Library is a great place that you can visit while you are in the said city. Before going here, there are some things that you should know about in order for you to fully have an enjoyable experience there. The Milwaukee Public Library has several locations in the city, making it one of the most accessible libraries in Milwaukee.

Among its locations include Central, Central Drive-Thru, Atkinson, Bay View, Capitol, Center Street, Forest Home and Martin Luther King. Each of them have their opening hours but mostly, they operate from 1-8 PM every Monday to Wednesday and closed every Saturday.

The Milwaukee Public Library started its foundation back in 1878 during the time the city was authorized to have a public library. However, it is believed that the library was actually founded in 1847. By that time, there are over 10,000 volumes of collections already but most of them were in German. Finally, the library was successfully opened on October 3, 1898 sharing with the Milwaukee Public Museum.

The Central Library is the main division of the pubic library. Its architecture has actually an interesting history when there was a national competition in order for its design to come to life. There were 74 entries and one of them came from the renowned Frank Lloyd Wright. The chosen design was made by Ferry and Clas of Milwaukee.

Today, the same design is still strong which features a U shaped entrance for both the library and the museum. The building is now listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. The public library displays Italian and French renaissance styles.