Carnegie Library Exterior Masonry Restoration Demonstration

Please join APT DC for an exciting demonstration of the masonry restoration techniques used at the Carnegie Library! This event has been rescheduled from its original date of April 7th due to inclement weather.

Designed by the firm of Ackerman & Ross and dedicated in 1903, the Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square was the first building constructed to house the recently established D.C. Public Library System. Construction was funded by Andrew Carnegie as part of his nationwide library program to encourage free and public dissemination of knowledge. The building is clad in Vermont marble with sculptural decorations by Philip Martiny, and it features banks of columns on the north side to house the book stacks, a feature celebrated in the design of the New York Public Library from a few years later. The base of building is clad with Milford Pink Granite.

The building is currently undergoing a transformation to become a retail store with a public forum, gallery, and office space for the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. As part of the project, the masonry façade is being restored. Beyer, Blinder, Belle Architects & Planners and Conservation Solutions, Inc. collaborated on the restoration design approach. Lorton Stone and Grunley Construction are the contractors for the restoration. The event will provide an overview of the façade survey that was completed in 2016, and the general cleaning methods that are currently in process on the marble and granite facades will be demonstrated.

1 HSW LU is available for this event. Photography will not be permitted.