Renovation Drives Sale of Photographs

The Carnegie-Stout Public Library (CSPL), Dubuque, IA, has sold one of its most prized possessions, a 20-volume set of Edward Curtis photos, The North American Indian, for $500,000 to raise money for a $6.8 million renovation of the main library. Fortunately, it will remain in the area, as the Dubuque Cultural Preservation Committee will buy it and turn it over to the Dubuque Museum of Art. Conveniently, the volumes have already been placed there in a climate-controlled vault, director Susan Henricks told LJ.

When word got out that the Curtis photos might be sold to a museum in Texas for $1.1 million, a small but vocal group opposed the sale. By accepting the local bid, the volumes fetched one-third the price of its worth, said Henricks. CSPL needed to raise half the renovation cost, or $3.4 million, before the city kicks in a matching amount. Because the library received less than expected from the sale, the city agreed to increase its contribution. The 54,000 square foot facility consists of a Carnegie building plus a 1981 addition; renovations involve significant work in the original space.