Carnegie Building circa 1907

Construction on Carnegie Library began in the spring of 1905 after Andrew Carnegie announced he would donate $150,000. for the erection of a University Library. There was a stipulation that Syracuse University raise another $150,000.as an endowment for up-keep of the library. The building was completed in 2 years and the library opened in September 1907. The architects were Professors Frederick W. Revels and Earl Hallenbeck. The building style is Renaissance. Building materials consisted of a granite base with a grey brick and terra cotta facade.

Carnegie Building, Present Day

The main offices for the Mathematics Department and the Mathematics Education programs are housed in the Carnegie Library. Carnegie, as it is called, was completed in 1907 and until 1973, served as the Syracuse University Library. A striking feature of the building, is the central, skylighted atrium that runs up from the second floor. It contains a giant reading room with 24 large, well-lit hardwood tables complimenting the ornate late-Victorian decor of the hallways, ceilings and stairways. Faculty, graduate students and undergraduates often congregate in the reading room for informal conversations. Faculty offices are located in Carnegie or the Physics building next door, while graduate students have offices either in Carnegie or in the adjacent Archbold Building.

Studying, Carnegie Reading Room

Reading Room, Carnegie Building

Science and Technology Library

Mathematics Library

Most photos by Patricia O'Malley