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An old postcard of the Superior Carnegie Library, courtesy Friends of the Superior Carnegie Library.
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Courtesy Bob Swanson/Friends of the Superior Carnegie Library
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Courtesy Bob Swanson/Friends of the Superior Carnegie Library
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Courtesy Bob Swanson/Friends of the Superior Carnegie Library
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Courtesy Bob Swanson/Friends of the Superior Carnegie Library
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Courtesy Bob Swanson/Friends of the Superior Carnegie Library
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Courtesy Bob Swanson/Friends of the Superior Carnegie Library
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Courtesy Bob Swanson/Friends of the Superior Carnegie Library
An Oldie But a Goodie: Friends of the Superior Carnegie Library announced acceptance of a purchase agreement with Osterlund Architects of Superior, Wisconsin, and Raleigh, North Carolina. Osterlund plans to renovate the historic Superior building and open it to lease for offices and business startups. “Superior has the distinction of being home of the first and oldest of 63 Carnegie Libraries built in Wisconsin,” Friends of the Superior Carnegie Library reported in its announcement. “Andrew Carnegie gave the City of Superior a grant to build the library in 1901 and the building was completed in 1902. The Library served the people of Superior from its completion until 1991 and then stood empty when the Library relocated.” Since the library relocated, multiple others have purchased the building but for various reasons were unable to rehabilitate it. When the he Superior City Council voted to condemn the building in 2006, the friends group formed with 80 citizens from Duluth, Superior, Minneapolis and even Eagle River, Wisconsin, pooled their own money to buy it, says Bob Swanson, executive director of the group. They replaced broken windows, cleaned around the structure, removed graffiti and stayed the condemnation order. The group then focused on selling the building to a developer who would preserve the building’s architectural and historical character. Based on rehabilitation of similar historic buildings elsewhere, the group believes Osterlund is that perfect fit and will give back to Superior the treasured gift Carnegie once also gave the city. “It just has a presence,” Bob says. One old postcard shows the building in its heyday and the other images show its current state, ready for rehabilitation.