Drake Public Library

Constructed in 1903, the Drake Public Library remains an important landmark in Centerville. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 for its historically significant architecture, the role institution has played in encouraging learning among residents, and its association with the library's namesake, Francis M. Drake (1830-1903). Drake served as Iowa's governor from 1896 to 1898 and donated the entire amount needed to build the library. The building offers a fine example of Classical Revival architecture and incorporates unique features such as a central pavilion with Ionic columns, pilasters topped by stone orbs, and a two-story rotunda with an interior stained-glass dome.

In 1896, a group of Centerville women formed the Ladies of the Reading Room Library Association Group. Members of this organization established a reading room and library on the second floor of a commercial building on the courthouse square. The reading room was a success, so much so that the collection of books soon grew too large for the reading room to accommodate. As a result, some leading residents began to call for a public library.

One of these individuals was Francis M. Drake, who sent a proposal to the city in April 1901 offering to pay for a new library on the condition that residents vote to approve the project and a tax to maintain and pay for annual operating expenses. The city approved the proposal and construction got underway in July and was completed in 1903. Architect C.E. Eastman, who was based in Des Moines, designed the library. The library was added to the National Register of Historic Places 1997.

"History." Drake Public Library. Accessed August 31, 2021. https://drakepubliclibrary.org/history.

Naumann, Molly Myers. "Drake Public Library." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. October 30, 1997. https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/nrhp/text/97001290.PDF.