History of Manitou Springs Library

The Manitou Springs Carnegie Library opened on Feb. 22, 1911, the result of local physician Dr. H.M. Ogilbee securing a $6,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. The city purchased an acre-sized lot at Pawnee and Manitou avenues, razed six buildings, and commissioned architect Thomas MacLaren to design an Italian Renaissance–style structure of light brown brick with a red-tiled roof. The library joined the region’s two earlier Carnegie buildings—the 1904 Colorado City Library and the 1905 Colorado Springs Library—and all three are part of Pikes Peak Library District today.

The library’s earliest collection drew heavily from Manitou Springs’ original Reading Room, established in 1900 at St. Andrews Episcopal Church by 12 local women. Around 2,000 Reading Room books moved into the new building. Local organizations furnished much of the interior, and community members contributed notable items such as C.H. Austin’s vintage electric clock, which sits today on the east wall of the upper Meeting Room. The basement, originally intended as living quarters for the librarian, was instead used for a time by the Manitou Springs Police Department until the Carnegie Foundation required the space for the Library’s use.

In the decades that followed, it served as a kindergarten room and later a sixth-grade classroom. A major shift came during the tenure of librarian Marguerite Aldrich, who began in 1954 and oversaw its complete transformation into a dedicated children’s library, which opened in 1957— the only space unchanged in function after the 2025 reopening.

Although always an independent municipal library, Manitou Springs Library frequently relied on the larger collections in Colorado Springs. In the 1960s, the two communities discussed forming a regional library, but Manitou Springs chose to remain separate while Colorado Springs established the district that became Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) in 1964. Cooperation continued through shared borrowing agreements, including a 1965 arrangement with Colorado Springs and Security that allowed residents to use any of the libraries for a small fee. In later decades, Manitou Springs participated in the Plains & Peaks Library System—a five-county resource-sharing network headquartered at Penrose Library in downtown Colorado Springs—until that program dissolved in 2004.

A major push for renovation and expansion began in 2006 as the building’s age and limitations became increasingly apparent. Plans were discussed for years, but ultimately never advanced to construction. ADA accessibility concerns appeared frequently in public meetings, underscoring the challenge of maintaining a historic structure in a way that met the needs of a modern community.

By the early 2010s, the city reassessed whether it could continue to operate the library independently. The Manitou Springs Library Task Force began meeting in October 2011 to study the long-term needs of the library and evaluate possible paths forward. Library Director Margaret Morris later explained that their work made clear that joining PPLD offered the most sustainable future. A central part of the discussion was ensuring that the historic 1911 building would remain city-owned, which was ultimately included in the final agreement.

In 2012, Manitou Springs voters approved joining Pikes Peak Library District. The agreement preserved city ownership of the Carnegie building while integrating staffing, collections, and services into PPLD. The transition, completed in 2013, strengthened long-standing regional ties while maintaining the library’s identity as a distinctly Manitou Springs institution.

As the building continued to age, its structural and accessibility challenges became unavoidable. A new community task force was formed to ensure the library would remain a center of knowledge, lifelong learning, and community connection for the next century. The group advocated for full renovation and expansion, supported fundraising efforts, and emphasized that the city’s obligation to maintain the building dated back to its original agreement with the Carnegie Foundation.

The library closed in 2021 for the long-planned renovation and temporarily relocated to the Manitou Art Center, reflecting its deep connection to the town’s creative community. The renovation addressed structural needs, restored historic features, improved ADA accessibility, and modernized public spaces while preserving the building’s architectural character—including the careful removal and preservation of the children’s room giraffe mural.

The restored Manitou Springs Carnegie Library reopened in 2025, returning the historic building to the community that created it, supported it, and worked to preserve its future. More than a century after its construction, the library remains a defining Manitou Springs landmark—rooted in the city’s past, serving its present, and prepared for generations to come.