Happy 150th birthday to Cleveland Public Library! Opened in 1869 as a venture of the Cleveland Department of Education, the library has grown from one branch to 27 and from 5,800 to over 10 million items in its collection.
CPL began in the 3rd floor of the Northrup and Harrington Building on Superior Ave, but moved down the street to the current home of its Main Branch in 1925. If you’ve never visited before, this year is a great time to visit and enjoy the beautiful building and its additions.
Superior Avenue, 1875. Cleveland Public Library opened 4 years after this photograph was taken, in the building seen at the right of the frame.
Courtesy Cleveland Public Library
Cleveland Public Library will be celebrating with many events throughout the year, there’s even a free street festival planned for tomorrow, July 27th. But even if you can’t make it to the party, there are always some cool special collections and exhibits on display – not to mention the actual collection in the library itself! Always free, and always open to all in the community.