By Bugle staff

As a historic Carnegie Library, the St. Anthony Park Branch Library will receive a $10,000 gift from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, part of its nationwide Carnegie Libraries 250 initiative.

The St. Paul Public Library plans to use the funds for updates to the “play-and-learn” space for children and families at the St. Anthony Park location, Library Director Maureen Hartman recently told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The Riverview Library, a Saint Paul Public Library Carnegie branch on the West Side, also received a $10,000 gift from the Carnegie foundation.

According to the foundation’s website, in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it will send the checks to Carnegie libraries across America in January 2026.

According to the Carnegie Foundation: “Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of 1,681 free public libraries in the United States between 1886 and 1917. As part of the Carnegie Libraries 250 special initiative, his philanthropic foundation reached out to each library and established that about 1,280 still operate and acknowledge their link to Carnegie, making them eligible for the gift. Approximately 750 continue to use their original buildings, while others have moved to new locations.”

The SAP Library was built in 1917 and is on the National Register of Historic sites.

This is the latest good news for the SAP Library. This past summer, the library was temporarily closed for needed repairs and maintenance to both entrances of the facility in order to ensure its accessibility to all library users. 

This report was compiled by Bugle freelance writer Kathy Henderson and Bugle editor Scott Carlson.

Photo cutline: The St. Anthony Park Branch Library in 2026 will receive a $10,000 gift from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Photo from Bugle archives.