The Price Hill Branch Library, one of the oldest and most historic in the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton Country system, has been closes indefinitely due to significant damage from a ceiling collapse. Built in 1909 at 3215 Warsaw Ave., it was one of nine in the city built with funds from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.
Workers are assessing the ceiling damage and have no timetable for repairs and reopening, but the Cincinnati Recreation Commission has made space available for a temporary branch inside its facility at 959 Hawthorne Ave. in Price Hill.
Beginning Monday (July 16), this temporary location will be open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday through Aug. 31. It will be staffed by library employees. During this time, the following services will be available:
- Customer holds may be picked up in the temporary space. Items may be returned to the Recreation Center as well; however, the temporary book return installed at the Price Hill Branch will remain for customers who wish to return books after-hours or on weekends.
- Books, movies, magazines for browsing and checkout.
- Laptops loaded with the same software offered on Library computers.
- Storytimes and craft programs for kids and teens.
- Summer Adventure program and associated prizes awarded for reading and activities.
- Summer snack at 1:30 p.m.
- Hamilton County Job and Family Service faxing.
- The Summer Tutoring program has been moved to the Covedale Branch.
The Price Hill Branch Library is considered a notable example of a French Renaissance-style brick and limestone building and has a roof with tin deck and slate slopes. But the branch has a long history of issues with the roof leaking, a Library spokesperson said, explaining that the slate mansard section of the roof has had tiles repaired almost every year for the last 4 years and the slate is over 110 years old.
The downspouts and the box gutters have also been repaired numerous times over the last several years. While the flat part of the roof was recently replaced, facilities staff believe at this point that water infiltration over the years caused damage. So the roof collapse is a result of the previous years of accumulated damage. It was sudden and resulted in immediate closure.
Updates will be posted at cincinnatilibrary.org; information also will made available at the Virtual Information Center at 513-369-6900.
This article appears in Jul 11-18, 2018.