Arvonne Fraser Library

Arvonne Fraser Library is a public library in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Its primary service area is the University, Minneapolis community. The library was one of thirteen branch libraries established under the leadership of Gratia Countryman, the chief librarian of the Minneapolis Public Library from 1904 to 1936. The library is named after women's rights advocate and political campaigner Arvonne Fraser.

Arvonne Fraser Library
The front of the library
Former namesSoutheast Community Library, Southeast Library
General information
TypeBranch library
Location1222 4th Street SE, Minneapolis, MN
Coordinates44°58′51″N 93°14′16″W
Construction started1963
OwnerHennepin County Library System
Design and construction
ArchitectRalph Rapson

East Side Branch, 1891–1904

The third branch of the Minneapolis Public library opened on November 1, 1891 in the old Winthrop School building at 22 University Avenue Southeast.[1] It was replaced by the Pillsbury Library in 1904.

Pillsbury Library, 1904–1967
The Pillsbury Library replaced the East Side Branch (1891-1904) as part of the Minneapolis Public Library system from 1904-1967.

John Sargent Pillsbury, Minnesota's eighth governor, offered to build a branch library at the corner of University and Central Avenues in old St. Anthony (later East Minneapolis). The location was few blocks from the iconic Pillsbury "A" Mill and close to the governor's home. Although Pillsbury died before the library opened in April, 1904, the family carried out the gift. One of the most beautiful library branches in Minneapolis, the library was built out of marble and featured mahogany inside.[1] In 1960 a new Central Library opened right across the river from the Pillsbury Library so a location closer to the University Community's core was sought. The Southeast Library replaced the Pillsbury Library in 1967.

Located at 100 University Avenue Southeast, after many years as the Dolly Fiterman gallery, the Pillsbury Library more recently housed the Phillips Foundation.

Seven Corners Library, 1906-1964
The Seven Corners Library was a branch of the Minneapolis Public Library from 1906-1964.

A successful delivery station was replaced in 1906 by the Seven Corners Branch in a rented space at 231 Cedar Avenue. The Seven Corners (Cedar-Riverside) area was teeming with new immigrants and the library was quite busy. A permanent Seven Corners branch was built at 300 15th Ave. South in 1912. By 1964 the library's circulation numbers paled in comparison to its first decades of existence. The building was sold to the Minnesota Department of Transportation and was razed for highway construction.[1]

Southeast Library, 1967-2018
Southeast Library, built 1963, converted to a library in 1967. Currently part of the Hennepin County Library system.

Southeast Library's building was designed by master architect Ralph Rapson and originally functioned as a credit union for university and state employees. It opened as a library in 1967.[2] The State Capitol Credit Union building at 1222 Fourth Street Southeast was purchased to be converted into a library on December 29, 1966. It opened as the new Southeast Library on December 26, 1967.[1]

Southeast Library and 14 other libraries of Minneapolis Public Library were merged into the combined urban/suburban Hennepin County Library in 2008.

The library closed for 10 to 12 months for an $11.6 million renovation beginning on December 10, 2018.[3]

Arvonne Fraser Library, 2019-present

On December 11, 2018 the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted to rename the library. The Arvonne Fraser Library reopened on Saturday January 25, 2020.[4][5]

References
  1. Benidt, Bruce Weir (1984). The Library Book: Centennial History of the Minneapolis Public Library. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center. ISBN 0961371609.
  2. "Southeast Library". Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  3. Harlow, Tim (December 4, 2018). "Southeast Library near University of Minnesota closing Monday for yearlong renovation". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  4. "Final Board Agenda, Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, December 11, 2018".
  5. "Hennepin County Board renames Minneapolis library after Arvonne Fraser". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
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