North Denver's Berkeley neighborhood is home to an American legacy

“There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.”
― Andrew Carnegie

The William H. Smiley branch of the Denver Public Library located at the southeast corner of Berkeley Park near 46th Ave and Tennyson St. in North Denver was built in 1918 with a donation from the Industrialist tycoon Andrew Carnegie.

As a self made man, Carnegie saw the free public library as a way for the working class to improve their lot in life through education and study. Between 1886 and 1919 he donated more than $40 million to build 1,679 Public Libraries across the nation.

Named for a popular Harvard trained educator and Superintendent of Denver Public Schools William H. Smiley, this branch was one of eight Carnegie libraries built in the Denver area.

Constructed in the English-Norman Cottage architectual style, the building along with Berkeley Park Historic District is included on the National Register of Historic Places.

For the past 93 years this wonderful library has made the Berkeley neighborhood a great place to live and learn.

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To view vintage photos of the William H. Smiley library click this link

To view more info about Andrew Carnegie click this link