About Vienna Public Library
Historic Architecture, Architecture, Interesting Places, Other Buildings And Structures
The Vienna Public Library, also known as Vienna Carnegie Library, is a Carnegie library at 401 Poplar St. in Vienna, Illinois. It was built in 1911 with a $5000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation. The brick building, designed by local architect Thomas Clymer, features a tall flight of stairs leading to the front entrance; two pilasters flank the staircase. The building provided a permanent home for Vienna's library program, which was established in 1895 and had rotated through a number of local buildings prior to 1911. County medical services have also been based in the library: The American Red Cross used the building as its headquarters during a 1917 influenza outbreak, and a trachoma clinic operated in the basement from 1936 to 1964. The building has also been used as a gym, a headquarters for city services, and a meeting place for several women's organizations and the Johnson County Historical Society.
