Newly renovated Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square makes its second debut.
By Anna Storm
Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square. (Photo by Mike B Photography)
As part of a city seeped in, defined by, and continually shaping our national history, the reopening of the Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square is a quintessentially D.C. event. The landmark’s roots extend back to 1903, when it was first dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt and Andrew Carnegie. Now, the historic site is being re-introduced to the modern public with a concurrently modern twist: not as a library, but as a special events venue.
Thanks to renovations by Events DC, an organization dedicated to sports, convention, and entertainment ventures in The District, the former Central Public Library for the District of Columbia has been transformed to complement the Walter E. Washington Convention Center located across the street. With a 150-seat theater and seven large halls, including Literary Hall and the L’Enfant Map Room, Carnegie Library was poised to meet the networking needs of the 21st century.
“Carnegie Library’s unique spaces and historic significance served as the perfect fit for our annual industry ‘after-party’ event,” said Dan Sherman, president and chief executive officer of the Hospitality Industry Professionals (HIP) network. In addition to housing post-event galas, the library will play host to wedding receptions, holiday parties, and press events. But the site’s second debut isn’t all mingling and mixed drinks; in a true merger of the historic-past with the historically minded present, the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. will continue to reside in the building, where it operates its own Kiplinger Research Library.
In other words, the new and improved Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square is keeping in touch with the past while keeping up with the times. Or, as Gregory A. O’Dell, Events D.C. president and chief executive officer, said, “by reopening its doors, [the library’s] history will come alive once again.”
The Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square is located at 801 K Street, NW. For more information on the library and Events DC, please click here.
The L'Enfant Map Room. (Photo by Mike B Photography)
Literary Hall. (Photo by Mike B Photography)
McKinley Theatre. (Photo by Mike B Photography)
