History

In 1857 a small group of local men formed the Winona Lyceum, the earliest library association in the city. Dues paid by the members funded the purchase of new books. In 1863 the group became the Young Men's Library Association, which by 1870 grew to 268 members with 1,670 books. Debt closed the library in 1875 for two years.

In 1877 Mrs. J. B. McGaughey, Mrs. Thomas Wilson, and Miss Charlotte Prentiss lifted the debt and reorganized the library under a new name, the Winona Library Association. On March 22, 1886, the association donated its collection of 3,500 books to Winona, forming the city's first free public library.

In the late 1890s William H. Laird donated $50,000 to the city for a permanent home for the library, which covered the construction costs for a new building. The library association paid for the furniture, fixtures, and shelving. The new library at the corner of Fifth and Johnson streets opened on Jan. 20, 1899, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The fireproof building was designed by Warren Powers Laird, dean of the school of architecture of the University of Pennsylvania, and Edgar V. Seeler, a Philadelphia architect. The original building was 85 feet by 65 feet with a 3-story stack wing. The copper dome is 56 feet above the street. The brick walls are faced with Bedford stone and the entrance steps, curbs, and walks are Winona limestone. The columns at the entrance are Georgia Creole marble.

Unique features of the library are the glass floors in the book stacks, the ornate copper-faced shelving and stairs, and the Kenyon Cox mural, "The Light of Learning," under the library's dome.