Seven Corners Library Records

Collection

Identifier: HCL 061

Staff Only

Description of Contents

This collection contains fact sheets, brochures, building information, contracts, newspaper clippings, correspondence, plans, maps, and other administrative records documenting the history of Seven Corners Library from 1908 to 1966. Nonsense Books written by the library staff include information about the library in short, humorous poems.

Dates

Creation: 1908 - 1966

Creator

Hennepin County Library (Organization)
Minneapolis Public Library (Organization)

Access

The collection is available for use in Special Collections at Minneapolis Central Library during the department's open hours.

History

Opened in 1905, the Seven Corners Library served the large, immigrant community on the West Bank of the Mississippi River until the library's closure in 1964. The library primarily served the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and the Bohemian Flats area.

The first Seven Corners Library opened as a reading room in Riverside Chapel, 231 Cedar Ave. S, in 1905. In 1912, the library moved to a permanent building at 300 15th Ave. S. As the flow of new immigrants to the Seven Corners area slowed, use of the library declined. On August 28, 1964, the branch library was closed. The land and building were sold to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The building was demolished in the 1960s for highway construction.

Extent

0.21 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Fact sheets, brochures, building information, newspaper clippings, correspondence and other administrative records documenting the history and operations of Seven Corners Library in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from 1908 to 1966. Seven Corners Library was part of the Minneapolis Public Library until it closed in 1964. The Minneapolis Public Library and Hennepin County Library merged in 2008.

Custodial History

Materials from before 2008 were included in the Minneapolis Public Library archives (accession 2019.25).

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection contains materials transferred to the archives by Hennepin County Library administration in 2017 accession 2019.25.

Related Materials in Hennepin County Library Special Collections

This is one of many collections documenting Minneapolis Public Library and Hennepin County Library locations. For photographs, see HCL 002 Hennepin County Library Photographs.