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Bay
Economic Development Corporation for $ 1. The corporation would do the necessary renovations and improvements after finding someone to lease the building and repay those costs over time. In 1995, the Tampa Free Library once again garnered notice after the roof had to be patched to stop an influx of water from destroying the interior. It was at this time that Tampa's Architectural Review Commission unanimously voted to recommend the building for local landmark designation. In 1998, the United Way of Hillsborough County considered making the Tampa Free Library building its new headquarters, but reconsidered due to the price tag of renovating the then 83-year-old-building. In 1999 the city agreed to foot the 2.2 million dollar renovation costs by entering a 25-year lease agreement with Tampa Bay Economic Development Corporation, at the end of which, the city would purchase the building back for the $ 1 they sold it for in 1987. Beginning in 1999, three agencies would share the newly renovated space: The Division of Neighborhood Improvement, the Women & Minority Business Enterprise Program, and the Office of Human Rights and Community Services. In November 2016, the administrative offices for the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library were relocated to the Tampa Free Library from the fourth floor of the John. F. Germany Library in downtown Tampa.
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population eventually led to a new building being constructed in downtown Tampa. The original building was constructed and designed to serve 50,000 people which was adequate at the time of its construction. However, by the early 1960s, Tampa maintained a population of 274,407 people. In addition, other old, historical libraries in Tampa were also unable to meet the needs of the public due to poor parking, small size, and cramped collections. This led to questions of whether newer, larger libraries should begin replacing the older, historical models. The Tampa Free library endeavored to cater to the population by expanding hours. In April 1960 the Tampa Public
Library's expanded its hours, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, increasing the library's open hours from 66 to 72 hours per week. This was done with the hope that it would be more convenient for people working downtown to visit the library.
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west side housed the children's department, where story time took place and children's material was kept. On the east side of that floor, cataloging and processing took place. This involved hand lettering along spines in order to determine branches and subjects. The bookmobile collection was also housed there, as Tampa's first bookmobile was kept at the Tampa Free
Library. Upon patron request, back issues of newspapers and magazines, kept behind smoked glass, would be sent upstairs. A dumbwaiter was used to put materials in and take them upstairs, as the building's current elevator had not been added yet.
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and some would enjoy going to the pool hall across the street from the library, which was notorious among patrons as well as librarians for having a diverse and interesting clientele that was not always a welcome presence at the library and would sometimes be a source of mischief. At the "7th Avenue
Library," as it was called by some patrons, children would enjoy storytelling, which would happen once or twice in the afternoon according to patron memories, and book selection in the children's library on west side of the basement level.
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Built in 1915, the Tampa Free
Library originally stood as Tampa's main public library. However, over the decades, the library was no longer able to adequately meet the needs of the growing population. Concerns over the small size of the library, lack of expansion, and inability to assist the growing
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In 1968, the building was converted into a center for academically advanced students, the "Exceptional
Children Education Center". This program ended in 1986 when the city stopped busing gifted students out of their local schools. In 1987, the city of Tampa sold the building to the nonprofit Tampa
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Bernadette Storck, a worker of the library with the cataloging and processing department, details her memories of the library's floorplan and processes: The library had a circulation desk on the first floor, with reference on one side and popular materials on the other. In the downstairs area, the
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The library was widely used by patrons across Tampa who had fewer branches to choose from at the time of its use as an active branch. University students would enjoy the ample collection in order to do the research and study required of them. High school students would also research at the branch,
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It was Tampa's main library until 1968. It includes a T-plan, masonry, brown and yellow brick atop a rusticated granite basement, and is topped by a barrel tile roof. The building was rehabilitated in 1999 by the City of Tampa for public offices. It has been occupied by the administrative staff of
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in 1961, the library designed to serve a community of 52,000 people was rightfully determined to be insufficient for a community of 274,407 people. A former worker of the library who'd been involved in cataloging and processing also recalled insufficient shelving space, stating that the huge
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collection of books, newspapers, and magazines was "falling off the shelves." Patrons also had to travel quite far to reach the library, as it was being used by patrons who lived in Hyde Park and Palma Ceia.
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in 1999) opened on 900 N Ashley Drive. The John F. Germany Public
Library still serves as the main library in the Tampa-Hillsborough County Library system.
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Eventually the need for space and change led to the creation of a new main library, and on April 21, 1968, The Tampa Public
Library (renamed
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In 1961, the library was no longer seen as an adequate facility for the growing city of Tampa. As evidenced in an article by the
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In May 2024, USF approached the county about repurposing the Tampa Free
Library into an art museum.
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650:"Video memory of William Grahm, Jr. on the Tampa Public Library (7th Avenue), Sept. 24, 2011"
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625:"Video memory of Bernadette Storck on the Tampa Public Library (7th Avenue), Sept. 24, 2011"
570:"Video memory of Malcom Smith, Jr. on the Tampa Public Library (7th Avenue), Sept. 24, 2011"
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595:"Video memory of David Smith on the Tampa Public Library (7th Avenue), Sept. 24, 2011"
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Carnegie
Libraries: Their History and Impact on American Public Library Development
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553:"Hillsborough Literacy Council – Teaching adults to read and speak English"
539:"Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn eyeing changes at site of downtown library annex"
702:"Small library falls short of Tampa's needs". Tampa Tribune. 2 April 1961.
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815:"Florida Memory - The Free Library on the roadside - Tampa, Florida"
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453:"National Register Information System – (#91000618)"
770:"Historic library building to be renovated in Tampa Heights"
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The Tampa Free Library on the roadside on March 18, 1919
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and constructed from 1915 to 1917. It was added to the
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National Register of Historic Places in Tampa, Florida
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from 1901 to 1917. It was designed by Tampa architect
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Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
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History of the National Register of Historic Places
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The Tampa Free Library on the roadside in the 2000s
724:"New city offices take landmark library off shelf"
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747:"County's 2nd public library turns another page"
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290:Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System
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292:since November 2016 and also houses the
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791:Danielson, Richard (3 February 2017).
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433:Detail of Tampa Free Library building
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272:provided funding for more than 3,000
239:Exceptional Children Education Center
745:Hathaway, Ivan J. (13 August 1995).
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458:National Register of Historic Places
361:National Register of Historic Places
263:National Register of Historic Places
1347:Library buildings completed in 1917
768:Pedreira, David (30 January 1998).
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793:"Local Plea for Library Resources"
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795:. The Tampa Tribune. NewsBank inc
772:. The Tampa Tribune. NewsBank inc
749:. The Tampa Tribune. NewsBank inc
726:. The Tampa Tribune. NewsBank inc
268:Steel magnate and philanthropist
253:to receive grants awarded by the
34:Carnegie library (disambiguation)
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496:. American Library Association.
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241:) is a historic building in the
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722:Anchors, Sarah (10 July 1999).
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1352:Carnegie libraries in Florida
1268:Multiple Property Submissions
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376:Old Tampa Free Public Library
351:References and external links
294:Hillsborough Literacy Council
235:Old Tampa Free Public Library
196:; Aulick, Bates & Hundall
124:Show map of the United States
50:Old Tampa Free Public Library
18:Old Tampa Free Public Library
371:Hillsborough County listings
357:Hillsborough County listings
39:United States historic place
7:
1273:National Historic Landmarks
518:"Tampa Free Public Library"
409:Front of Tampa Free Library
300:Library Usage and Floorplan
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478:Tampa Bay Business Journal
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251:Florida Carnegie libraries
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629:HCPLC Digital Collections
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574:HCPLC Digital Collections
492:Bobinski, George (1969).
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654:HCPLC Digital Collection
201:Architectural style
1291:Keeper of the Register
1311:Contributing property
463:National Park Service
166:27.96028°N 82.46056°W
137:102 E. Seventh Ave.,
1337:Libraries in Florida
1258:Black Public Schools
313:Reasons for Closure
237:(also known as the
171:27.96028; -82.46056
162: /
99:Show map of Florida
1278:Woman's clubhouses
339:Uses After Closure
274:Carnegie libraries
185:less than one acre
30:Carnegie Libraries
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503:0-8389-0022-4
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278:United States
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259:Fred J. James
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243:Tampa Heights
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224:Added to NRHP
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194:Fred J. James
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1025:Indian River
1015:Hillsborough
819:the original
809:
797:. Retrieved
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774:. Retrieved
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751:. Retrieved
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728:. Retrieved
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227:May 16, 1991
27:
26:
1251:Other lists
799:28 November
776:28 November
753:28 November
730:28 November
689:"CONTENTdm"
675:"CONTENTdm"
169: /
145:Coordinates
1326:Categories
1205:Washington
1145:Santa Rosa
1120:Palm Beach
1105:Okeechobee
1085:Miami-Dade
659:2 December
634:2 December
604:2 December
579:2 December
523:11 October
439:References
157:82°27′38″W
154:27°57′37″N
28:For other
1165:St. Lucie
1160:St. Johns
1035:Jefferson
1010:Highlands
975:Gilchrist
915:Charlotte
873:by county
265:in 1991.
190:Architect
1175:Suwannee
1155:Seminole
1150:Sarasota
1130:Pinellas
1100:Okaloosa
1005:Hernando
990:Hamilton
965:Franklin
955:Escambia
935:Columbia
895:Bradford
218:91000618
134:Location
1263:Bridges
1195:Wakulla
1190:Volusia
1115:Osceola
1070:Manatee
1065:Madison
1060:Liberty
1030:Jackson
970:Gadsden
960:Flagler
930:Collier
910:Calhoun
905:Broward
900:Brevard
880:Alachua
864:Florida
384:Gallery
276:in the
1200:Walton
1180:Taylor
1170:Sumter
1140:Putnam
1110:Orange
1095:Nassau
1090:Monroe
1080:Martin
1075:Marion
1020:Holmes
1000:Hendry
995:Hardee
980:Glades
940:DeSoto
920:Citrus
500:
32:, see
1242:Tampa
1237:Miami
1185:Union
1125:Pasco
950:Duval
945:Dixie
885:Baker
871:Lists
1135:Polk
1055:Levy
1050:Leon
1040:Lake
985:Gulf
925:Clay
801:2021
778:2021
755:2021
732:2021
661:2019
636:2019
606:2019
581:2019
525:2013
498:ISBN
288:the
233:The
182:Area
1045:Lee
890:Bay
862:in
359:at
213:No.
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