Today Dayton has an amazing state of the art downtown library that opened in August 2017, replacing* the previous uninspiring structure constructed in 1962. But before that, a French Gothic Romanesque library building dating back to 1888 served Daytonians, and it too was located in Cooper Park.
There are many shots of the old library itself, but this image shows a panoramic view of Cooper Park from those days, with the library building in the center. It was taken from the corner of Third and St. Clair and is looking northeast. Delco, then a bustling factory complex, is visible in the background.
The 1962 library was built next to this one closer to Third Street and the 1888 structure pictured here was subsequently razed.
Image courtesy of Dayton Metro Library
* Note: the structural core of the 1962 library was actually kept, and the new library was built around it.
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