Welcome to "Save Hazelwood Library"
Photo Album
Photo Album
Annual News Updates for 2004 December:
Buhl Planetarium and Carnegie Library
Pittsburgh City Council 2009 Dec. 8.
Regarding proposal of the City of Pittsburgh to sell-off original building of the Hazelwood Branch, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
See also news article.
Brandolph, Adam.
"Mayor carves out aggressive budget."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2009 Dec. 4.
Includes sale of historic Hazelwood Branch, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh,
one of the earliest neighborhood branch libraries opened by Andrew Carnegie (in 1900):
"The mayor's new budget includes $500,000 in revenue from the sale of buildings, including
an abandoned fire station in Point Breeze, the
old Hazelwood Library and several
recreation and senior centers that have been closed for years, Kunka said."
See also public statement.
* 2007 Dec. 24 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Future of historical buildings precarious
By Craig Smith
But the price of restoration is high.
The cost of a historical preservation of the Woods home has been estimated at $600,000. Just to make it liveable would cost $200,000, Richter said. A century-old Carnegie library (historic Hazelwood Branch) down the street needs $900,000 in repairs.
Hanging on in Hazelwood
Neighborhood's hope for revival stunted by plans for expressway
By Diana Nelson Jones
* 2006 Dec. 12 - Statement of Glenn A. Walsh Before Pittsburgh City Council,
Regarding Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Request for Additional City Funds in 2007:
Prepared Text *
Large-Print Version
Statement also talks about Carnegie Library's abandonment of the historic Hazelwood Branch Library and proposed abandonment of historic Allegheny Regional Branch Library.
Statement of Glenn A. Walsh before Pittsburgh City Council,
Regarding Collection Needs of, and Discards By
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Prepared Statement *** Large-Print Version
Public Statement [Impromptu] - 2004 November 1:
Statement of Glenn A. Walsh before Pittsburgh City Council,
Regarding Proclamation Presented by City Council to
Retiring Carnegie Library Director Herb Elish --
Points Covered in Impromptu Statement
***
Notice - 2004 October 26:
New Grass-roots Organization for
Preservation of Historic Carnegie Libraries
< http://www.carnegielibraries.info > or
< http://www.carnegielibraries.net >
***
News Release - 2004 July 14:
PITTSBURGH CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES
HISTORIC DESIGNATION OF FIVE CARNEGIE LIBRARIES
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette On-Line, Pittsburgh - 2004 July 7:
Council favors historic status for 5 libraries By Timothy McNulty
Public Statements - 2004 June 30
In Public Hearings Before Pittsburgh City Council
Supporting Proposed Historic Designations of
Five Original Carnegie Library Buildings:
Hazelwood Branch Library *** Homewood Branch Library *** Lawrenceville Branch Library
Mt. Washington Branch Library *** West End Branch Library
News Release - 2004 June 22:
PUBLIC HEARINGS ON HISTORIC DESIGNATION OF FIVE LIBRARIES,
INCLUDING HISTORIC HAZELWOOD LIBRARY BUILDING,
BEFORE PITTSBURGH CITY COUNCIL JUNE 30
News Release - 2004 May 3:
HISTORIC HAZELWOOD LIBRARY BLDG. NAMED TO TOP-TEN
BEST HISTORIC PRESERVATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR 2004
DESIGNATED NO. 4 IN TOP-TEN
Public Statement - 2004 March 16:
Statement of Glenn A. Walsh before Pittsburgh City Council:
Closing of Historic Hazelwood Library Building
Carnegie Library Should Rehabilitate Historic Building and
Return Library to Historic Building, at End of Temporary 5-Year Lease
SPECIAL NOTICE - 2004 March 10:
PERMANENT CLOSURE-HAZELWOOD LIBRARY BLDG: SAT 5 PM
LAST CHANCE TO SEE, AND PHOTOGRAPH,
THIS HISTORIC LIBRARY BUILDING
This web site is used to coordinate the efforts of the residents of the Hazelwood neighborhood, in the City of Pittsburgh, and other lovers of libraries in an effort to prevent the abandonment of the historic Hazelwood Branch of The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
For many years, Hazelwood was the home to a major steel mill of the Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation. In the 1980s, "J&L" merged with Cleveland-based LTV Steel Corporation. In the mid-1990s, LTV went into bankruptcy and closed the Hazelwood mill and adjacent coke plant.
Hazelwood has one of the original branch library buildings, donated by Andrew Carnegie on 1900 August 15. Andrew Carnegie considered neighborhood branch libraries to be as important, if not more important, than a city's Main Branch library. So, two valuable features included with this neighborhood branch library were a 250-seat auditorium and a beautiful stained-glass dome above the library's original oak circulation desk at the Library entrance.
The management of The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has proposed moving the Hazelwood Branch Library from the original building into a second-floor rental unit, above a laundramat and a deli which sells beer, three blocks away. The original building would be boarded-up and abandoned, in hopes that some reuse could be found sometime in the future.
However, if the building stays abandoned too long [as several other buildings in the neighborhood are also abandoned and vacant, along with many vacant lots], it may deteriorate to the point where it would be too expensive to be reused. This happened with the former Lawrence Paint Building, which was located across West Carson Street from the Lower Station of The Duquesne Incline, before it was demolished a few years ago.
The majority of residents of the Hazelwood neighborhood oppose moving the library out of the historic building. We now seek to convince Carnegie Library and City officials [the historic library building is owned by the City of Pittsburgh] that another abandoned building is not in the best interests of Hazelwood.
Click here for more details regarding the proposed abandonment of the historic Hazelwood Branch Library.
Click here to read the latest news regarding efforts to save the historic Hazelwood Branch Library.
Annual News Updates for 2004 December:
Buhl Planetarium and Carnegie Library
Annual News Updates for 2003 December:
Buhl Planetarium and
Carnegie Library
For additional information --
Telephone: 412-561-7876
U.S. Mail:
Save Hazelwood Library
P.O. Box 1041
Pittsburgh PA 15230-1041
U.S.A.