Cattermole Memorial Library
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Cattermole Memorial Library
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| Location | 614 7th St. Fort Madison, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Built | 1893-1894 |
| Built by | J.C. Sunderland |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Part of | Fort Madison Downtown Commercial Historic District (#07000852) |
| NRHP Reference # | 84001267[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 5, 1984 |
Cattermole Memorial Library is a historic building located in Fort Madison, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In 2007 it was included as a contributing property in the Fort Madison Downtown Commercial Historic District.[1]
History
The first library in Fort Madison was a reading room established in the late 1870s by the White Ribbon Society, a local temperance group. It had grown to an extant that by 1884 the City Circulation Library was founded.[2] This collection formed the nucleus of what would become the Cattermole Memorial Library in the next decade. Elizabeth Cattermole funded the construction of the building as a memorial for her husband Henry. He had made his fortune in pork packing and banking. Henry had stipulated in his will that $10,000 be used to build a training school. It was an insufficient amount of money to build the school so the money was set aside. Elizabeth recognized the need for a public library in Fort Madison and contributed $30,000 towards the effort to build a new building.[3] She also contributed $500 towards the purchase of new books. This is the earliest extant example of local philanthropic support in Iowa for the construction of a building dedicated for use as a public library.[2] Elizabeth died before the project was completed.
Architecture
Architecturally, the building is a combination of the Loire chateau and Richardsonian Romanesque styles.[2] The exterior of the 2½-story structure is composed of brick with terracotta and stone trim. It is capped with a hipped roof. Roof dormers are located on the north and west elevations. The dominate feature of the building is a corner tower with a conical roof. An addition was added to the rear of the building in 1954.
References
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- Pages with broken file links
- Library buildings completed in 1894
- Former library buildings in the United States
- Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Iowa
- Buildings and structures in Lee County, Iowa
- Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
- National Register of Historic Places in Lee County, Iowa
- Fort Madison, Iowa
- Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Iowa
