Downers Grove Public Library to Celebrate 125th Anniversary All Year

Submitted by the Downers Grove Public Library. Photos courtesy of the Downers Grove Museum.

Downers Grove, IL - In 1891, the Ladies Library Association began a small reading room above the Farmers and Merchants Bank on the northeast corner of Main and Curtiss. It held almost 700 items.

In 1915, a new brick building was built with financial help from the Carnegie Foundation at the library’s current location on Forest and Curtiss. Since then, there have been expansions, reorganizations, new constructions, and most recently, an interior renovation completed in 2014.

Now, 125 years after the reading room opened, the library’s mission remains — to serving the Downers Grove community’s informational, educational, inspirational, and entertainment needs.

The library is celebrating this milestone all year long, with a variety of historic portrayals, gallery displays, activities, musical performances, storytimes, trivia, and even a birthday party in the fall. See dglibrary.org/125 for upcoming events.

Photo 1: Interior of the Carnegie building.
Photo 2: An exterior image of the 1997 construction project.
Photo 3: Women from the Ladies Library Association in front of the Carnegie building, 1917.
Photo 4: Exterior of the Carnegie building in May of 1937.
Photo 5: A school art exhibit on display inside the library, late 1950s.