Cordell Carnegie Public Library

The Cordell Carnegie Public Library is a historic Carnegie library located at 105 E. First St. in New Cordell, Oklahoma. The library was built in 1911 through a $10,000 grant from the Carnegie foundation; New Cordell's Commercial Club, which had opened a reading room the previous year, solicited the grant. Architect A. A. Crowell designed the library in the Mission Revival style; several of its elements reflect the emerging Spanish Colonial Revival style. The building's curved parapet walls, exposed rafters, and original red tile roof are all characteristic Mission Revival elements; its segmental arches, sunburst moldings, and ornamental ironwork resemble Spanish Colonial Revival work. The library was the only one in Washita County until the 1960s; it also served as a community center and was regularly used by local schools. In 1982, a new library opened in New Cordell, and the Carnegie Library building became the Washita County Historical Museum.
The Cordell Commercial Club established a Library Committee in early Spring of 1910. with I. M. Brill, as chairman of the committee. The committee's assignment was to establish a public library by collecting books and obtaining a grant from the Carnegie Foundation. The committee had built up a collection of 700 books by April 1910, through donations or purchases. By June, the Commercial Club had found sufficient space to open a reading room. In the fall of 1910, the Cordell City Council passed a 2-mill tax, which was earmarked for a library operating fund, a prerequisite for application for a Carnegie grant. The grant for up to $10,000 was approved in January 1911. Construction bids were solicited. On June 8, a contract for $7,967 was awarded to the successful bidder, D. C. Bass Company, of Enid, Oklahoma. The Carnegie Foundation later provided an additional $1,000 for additional work on the project. The library opened for use on January 18, 1912.

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