After months of renovations, the Carnegie Library in Bemidji is now open. The open house on Saturday drew in a crowd as people were able to walk through the fully-restored building.

Catherine Marchand, Treasurer with the Friends of the Carnegie Library, says they’ve been raising funds for the last seven years to restore the building close to its original condition. The project costs nearly $2.2 million to renovate the interior and exterior of the building. The Carnegie Library was originally built in 1910.

“The number one thing we’re celebrating right now is it’s going to be used for children’s reading program. So the Carnegie’s going to be coming back kind of full circle after 100 years to be a little like a library again,” Marchand said.

The upper level of the Carnegie will be available for the community to rent.

By — Malaak Khattab

News Reporter