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More than 2,500 Carnegie libraries were built around the world between 1883 and 1929. Their benefactor, Scottish-American businessman Andrew Carnegie, was known as the patron saint of libraries.
If Carnegie were alive today, he’d be proud to know that many of these libraries are being converted into arts and culture centers. One that got a major boost forward is the 1909 La Grande building, vacated a few years ago when the Cook Memorial Library was built. Sure, the old library needs some serious sprucing up. But it does hold great potential.
The dream to turn the old library building at the corner of Penn Avenue and Fourth Street into the Union County Arts and Culture Center began just about the same time as the last book was moved out to the new Cook Memorial Library. An energetic and forward thinking coalition of local artists and art and culture patrons deserves credit. They have been working tirelessly together in hopes of renovating the building and turning it into a showcase for local arts and culture.
A big step forward in that dream came May 7 when the UCACC and the La Grande City Council agreed on a lease of the building. The city council, wisely noting how a center would benefit the community for many decades to come, is asking rent of only $10 a year.
La Grande has some good models nearby for such renovation projects. One is the thriving Pendleton Center for the Arts, located in a 1916 Carnegie Library building along the Umatilla River. That center hosts a smorgasbord of community events that make Pendleton a better place to live.
It’s taken four years since the UCACC was created as a subcommittee of the Union County Cultural Coalition to bring the dream of a self-supporting art and culture community center to this point. Now the work accelerates. The mission? Finding funding for renovation. Fundraising activities include September’s Grande Gala, which has become a must-go-to event for local arts patrons.
The UCACC’s civic-minded leadership envisions a cultural gathering place. The center would showcase not only the region’s current talent but also its history and uniqueness. Included would be a thriving mix of local art, music, dance, history and geology. The center would also be available for a wide range of educational opportunities, meetings, conferences, and also offer lessons, classes and open art studios.
People in the community should band together and seek volunteer and charitable-giving opportunities to help make this dream a reality.
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Opinion 
