The Cumminsville Branch opened as a modest facility in rooms on the corner of Hoffner and Spring Grove Avenues on June 10, 1879. Funding problems forced the library to close in 1882. In 1904, Northside residents appealed to the Cincinnati Public Library to reopen the branch. Funded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, a new building was opened to the public in April of 1908. An extensive renovation and remodeling project begun in August of 1999 temporarily closed the library. In September of 2000, it reopened as the Northside Branch Library.