East Lake Library Records

The first East Lake Library opened in February 1924 at 2916 E Lake St. in Minneapolis' Longfellow neighborhood. Because of its storefront appearance, the brick building was described as a "reading factory." Charlotte Matson was the first librarian.

By the 1970s, the library had outgrown its building. Despite discussion of replacing East Lake with a new Hiawatha Branch, the Minneapolis Public Library decided to retain the East Lake name on a new building. The old East Lake Library building was sold, and a new library, designed by Cerny Associates, Inc., opened on May 10, 1976. Located at 2727 E Lake St., the new 12,000-square-foot building included a meeting room for 100 people and a parking lot for 33 cars. The library's circulation consistently ranked among the highest in the Minneapolis Public Library system.

In the late 1990s, the Minneapolis Public Library once again noted the need for a new, larger East Lake Library. The library closed on April 30, 2005, and a new building was constructed in its place. The new library shared many stylistic elements with the new Minneapolis Central Library building, also under construction at the time. The third East Lake Library opened on March 10, 2007. Like the 1976 building, its address is 2727 E Lake St.

In January 2008, the Minneapolis Public Library and the suburban Hennepin County Library systems merged. East Lake Library and the rest of the Minneapolis library locations became part of the Hennepin County Library.