Andrew Carnegie
Immigrant turned Steel Titan
Andrew Carnegie’s humble beginnings were not unlike many other Europeans who immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century. Born in 1835 in Scotland, he grew up poor in Pennsylvania, entering the workforce in 1843 at the age of 13, as a bobbin boy in a textile mill. As a young boy interested in acquiring an education, he was allowed access to a local manufacturer’s private library. Carnegie later credited his success to this act of generosity.
He accumulated a massive amount of wealth working his way up the ranks of the Pennsylvania railroad and steel industry, and started the Carnegie Steel Company in 1892. In 1901, he sold his company to J.P. Morgan for $480 million ($13 billion today), retired from business, and dedicated the rest of his life to philanthropy. One of the largest philanthropic causes Carnegie donated money towards was free public libraries, in the hope that future generations wouldn't be reliant on wealthy individuals’ generosity to have access to education.
Steel Titan turned Philanthropist
Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropic efforts supported the creation of more than a thousand public libraries throughout the United States, including the Carnegie Library on Mount Vernon Square. With the majority of these donations, Carnegie provided funds for the initial construction as long as the local government agreed to furnish the libraries with books and pay to maintain its operation. While he often asked that the libraries not be named after him, as he wanted people to utilize them for their purpose, rather than for the name attached, he did not dictate other details of the building such as the architectural style or who would be allowed to use it.
Click here to see Carnegie's Donation on the Timeline of the history of the Carnegie Library on Mount Vernon Square.
Rafael Guastavino
Master Builder
Rafael Guastavino was born in Valencia, Spain in 1842. Inspired by his architect father, he attended school at the Escola Especial de Mestres d’Obres between 1861 and 1872 and began a successful career. In 1881, he immigrated to the United States with his young son.
Beaux-Arts Architectural Mastermind
In the late 1880s and early 1890s, Rafael Guastavino found his success in the United States . The architectural feature he became known for, Guastavino tile work, was an engineering and design feat of the time. Guastavino's work revived great domes of the past by using his hallmark tiles to create a low cost, quickly constructable, self-supporting vault or arch. Guastavino's work became a staple of the American Beaux-Arts Movement and the City Beautiful Movement.
To read more about the Carnegie Library's architecture, click here.