Providence Public Library
Providence Public Library of Providence, Rhode Island was founded in 1875. The central library building at 225 Washington Street opened in 1900 and was constructed in a Renaissance style with private donations including a large donation from John Nicholas Brown I, and a large addition was built in 1954. The Library is different from most city libraries because it is governed by a board of trustees and funded privately but serves the public. The Providence Public Library was awarded the National Medal for Museum and Library Service in 2001, for outstanding service to their community. History In June 1871, representatives from The Franklin Society, the Rhode Island Society for the Encouragement of Domestic Industry, The Franklin Lyceum, and the Association of Mechanics and Manufacturers met to form a Free Public Library, Art Gallery, and a Museum of Natural History, combining their private libraries. The library first opened in February, 1878, on the second floor of the former Butler Exchange building at now Kennedy Plaza, and purchased a location at Snow Street, just two years later. In 1896, the library broke ground on the current location at Washington Street, with a gift of $268,500 by John Nicholas Brown I, paying more