Historic Carnegie Library
The Donation of Carnegie Library
Nathan B. Young, The school’s second president, requested help from the famous Andrew Carnegie (b. 1835 – d. 1919), a prominent business magnate, philanthropist, and the founder of the Carnegie Steel
Company (U.S. Steel). He gladly donated $10,000 to construct a new library for the
Florida State College for Colored Students (present-day Florida A&M University) in
1906.
This new two-story brick facility officially opened its doors to the public in 1908.
Notably, it was the first Carnegie Library built on a black land-grant college campus.
Equipped with modern amenities such as electricity, indoor plumbing, and city-supplied
water, the library served various purposes over the years, including being an art
gallery and a religious center in its later years.
