The library is cozy and historic. Its Civil War focus provides aficionados with study material including the topical book collection, the Espy GAR Post, the Lincoln portraits collection, re-enactors and speakers, and the nearby Chartiers Cemetery with its Civil War burial ground. This is a stop on the pilgrimage to Gettysburg.
Additionally, the inviting and well-stocked children's section is a great weekday or weekend family destination. And Music Hall events integrate well with the growing Carnegie entertainment scene.
A better place to live , visit, and enjoy the wonders of music -- that's what the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall of Carnegie brings to Southwestern Pennsylvania.
I've been attending events there for almost a year, and am captivated by the outstanding musical talent which Maggie Forbes brings to the acoustically superb Music Hall venue.
And there's an unusual bonus -- getting to mix with the performers and other attendees after the concerts. Maggie welcomes all with tasty refreshments and good conversation in the facility's warm gathering spaces. I've made numbers of acquaintances and developed new friendships during these events, and look forward to even more in the future.
The Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall is a hidden gem in our communities. Be sure you discover and enjoy it soon!
Richard Horn
Maggie Forbes and the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall has meant so much to this town. If it wasn't for Maggie and the library there might not be a town. It's where I learned to read and think. We did the research for our science projects there when we were in high school. The library was going to close until Maggie took over. She found the money to fix the roof and keep it going. She opened up the Civil War Room. It was like finding a treasure from the past. Without her the library and music hall would be dead. She helped restore the music hall. Now there's an acting troupe called Stage 62 that sells out almost every show. She brings art and music to the town to help keep Carnegie alive. We can't thank her enough.
When Andre Cardenes, concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony, wanted a perfect place to record a CD, he found the Music Hall at ACFL&MH. The size is just right and the acoustics are astonishing. A long time ago, when I was in high school, we walked over to the library music hall for school assemblies; we performed our senior play there.
In the years between, the library seems to have been very much ignored and not cared for … or about. But even then, a blessing was to be had. As things went down hill, areas of the building got neglected and closed off. As a result, when the fresh breeze of restoration came along and windows and doors were opened to let the sunshine in, a very much in tact Thomas Espy Post of the Grand Army of the Republic was found very much undisturbed. A national treasure was awakened, refurbished, and is now being seen by visitors.
As we all know, success breeds success, and along side the Espy Post at the top of the grand staircase, there is a large meeting/exhibition room. Where else would I see a private collection of photographs of Abraham Lincoln displayed? I saw, in pictures from his last days in Springfield to his last days of life, the strain of the war and the presidency on the face of that great man. But, at another time the walls were hung with an exhibit of the work of a local artist and then, again, with works of many local artists. But also in that room, I heard local poets reading their latest work. But, even better, I saw young people listening, shown something that can enrich their entire lives. And they find out that the library has much of interest to them.
In fact, I just read in the paper that a seventh grader is running a few classes in origami at the library. When I go into the library to the circulation desk, I always see children enjoying he Children's’ Section. Often they are enjoying a story hour or other planned activity. And they do enjoy … loudly!
It just seems like this place can adapt to many needs. When there was a disastrous flood in Carnegie, federal, state, and local officials used the Music Hall for open “town hall” meetings with the victims to let them know what was being done and what help was available. But these same premises also host a theater company and Duquesne University music school brings their spring opera to the same hall. Of course, plays for children are also part of the mix. It doesn’t hurt that the recent restoration included new seats in the hall!
Truthfully, there is more going on here than I can say. The Carnegie-Carnegie wears many hats. And with funding and support, it’ll just keep getting better.
Beautiful building with amazing history. The library is warm and inviting, the music hall is top notch. I have seen several performances there ranging from opera singers to bands to stage performances - all types perfectly served by the acoustics and layout. The civil war room literally has no equal in preservation and history. I love this building.
The Carnegie Carnegie is a warm friendly place to go to borrow books, get information, access the Internet and attend programs. The staff is friendly and always helpful. As a library it is a great neighborhood place.
In addition it is historic. The building has been restored to its original 1901 grandeur, and it houses the Espy Post. The Espy Post is one of the most complete GAR posts in America.
The music hall is a wonderful place to catch a community theater production, a chamber music performance or other event.
The Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall is a great place to visit and make friends.
I started volunteering at the ACFL&MH almost two years ago. I have always loved libraries -- they are the corner stones of many communities. This beautiful old building sits royally on top of a hill overlooking Carnegie. The building has a rich history being one of the few libraries actually built by Andrew Carnegie. The history does not stop there, the Espy Room is a historical treasure. It was the site for GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) meetings and the room has been restored after water damage. The library has records, memorability and other significant artifacts from the civil war. A must see for a history buff. The staff gives tours on Sat and they are very knowledgeable. The library also has great programs for children, computers for personal and school use, and a lovely music hall for plays, musicals, etc. The staff is helpful and you can request books from other facilities.
The ACFL&MH has become once again the heart and soul of the Borough of Carnegie in just a few short years. Its transformation from a dusty downtrodden relic to a vibrant, lively center of community activity is an unbelievable success story. It is used daily by children of all ages, by teenagers and their parents and by seniors; it is in use often as the venue for exciting programming and has brought attention from far and wide for its magnificently restored Civil War Room.
Once a place to visit only under duress or necessity, the ACFL&MH is now a joy to enter. The building itself as well as the staff is welcoming and warm (and even cool now in the summer)and instead of the empty cavern one used to encounter, it is now filled with the buzz and hum of activity. The shelves are carefully stocked with current releases, the computers are always in use and it is rare that one won't find one group or another rehearsing for a performance in the Music Hall. There are so many events going on year round that trying to limit the ones to volunteer for becomes almost impossible. Its a fun place to be!
It certainly seems like the flavor and fortune of the Borough of Carnegie has begun its transformation in earnest now that the "Carnegie Carnegie" has become so important, not just to Carnegie but to the areas around Carnegie. New restaurants, retail outlets, professional offices and other businesses are sprouting up monthly and it is a great satisfaction to go into the business district these days and see so many people and so much going on. Its been a long time coming.
The Carnegie Carnegie is an old historical building but it has been and continues to be restored and updated with all of the modern amenities and technical advances of newer, less charming libraries. The Music Hall, designed as a mini replica of Carnegie Hall in New York, with its nearly perfect acoustics, is a treasure to behold.
I am a volunteer, a donor and a FAN of the ACFL&MH. It is truly the " Beacon on the Hill"