Allen Library, Westport
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The oldest branch library in the Kansas City Public Library system of Missouri, this building was constructed between 1896 and 1898 for the then-independent city of Westport. According to the Site-Seeing in Old Westport written by the Westport Historical Society, traffic had become so heavy within the area of the library's location. Due to the traffic, a horsecar rail line was installed between Kansas City and Westport. In order to afford the line, a tax was levied on the citizens of Westport. With the money left over after the line was put in, the Allen Library was built. The library is named after Judge Arthur M. Allen, a large force in the construction of the horsecar rail line and a leading proponent of the construction of this library. When Westport was annexed by Kansas City, Missouri, in 1899, this became the first branch of the public library which was then a department of the city's school system. The building was renovated in 1998.
Images
Allen Library
Sources
The Westport Historical Society