The Monteith Branch was named in honor of the first president of the University of Michigan, Rev. John Monteith, a graduate of the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1816. The Monteith Branch opened to the public on May 1, 1926.

It was the newest and largest of Detroit's branch libraries, the seventeenth to be housed in a building of its own. This branch was the first to be designed according to a regional plan. The implication was that the region served would be vastly in excess of the neighborhood area generally covered by the regulation branch library. Monteith's service area extends from the riverfront to Mack Avenue and from Connor to Alter Road.

The building is of Plymouth granite and distinctive features of the exterior are the leaded glass casement windows, the symbolical carving over the stair tower and the large bay window in the present children's room. The Adult Room is two stories high with carved wooden trusses. The ends rest upon stone corbels
which are carved into figures symbolical of three of Michigan's leading industries: fur lumber and automobiles. The stained glass panels in the bay window trace the history of printing and of the book.

The second floor space once served as the Children's Room. It features a Pewabic tiled fireplace and above it, a large tile medallion set in plaster. This area of the library has been recently refurbished, thanks to the generosity of the Junior League of Detroit. It features a new floor treatment, furniture and leaded glass doors commemorating their partnership with the Library. This multi-purpose room is hosts a variety of children's programs and is available to the community as a meeting space