Pages of the Past: Aurora's Library System

Pages of the Past: Aurora’s Library System December 12, 2023 to March 3, 2024

Libraries serve as centers for learning and education, and foster community engagement and social connections. The city of Aurora’s library system has a storied past that mirrors the city’s growth, changing demographics and rich history. Learn how the Aurora Public Library developed from one room in Sarah Wood’s home in North Aurora to a thriving system serving the third largest city in the state of Colorado. The impact of the library on Aurora is immense; more than 1.3 million items were checked out in 2022 by over 270,000 library cardholders‒equivalent to 70% of the entire city population! Learn more about our library’s history and dive into Pages of the Past.

Aurora Public Library Photo

PAGES OF THE PAST

PAGES OF THE PAST: AURORA’S LIBRARY SYSTEM

FOUNDING OF AURORA

The Colorado Gold Rush and Homestead Act brought thousands of newcomers to the Front Range region in the late 1850s and early 1860s.

Farms and ranches popped up throughout the area now known as Aurora. These homesteaders raised cattle, horses and sheep, and grew crops such as wheat, potatoes and sugar beets. The lack of water in the area led farmers to adopt dryland farming techniques. The construction of the Highline Canal in the 1890s brought much needed water, allowing many farmers to increase their production.

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FOUNDING OF AURORA

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Without a steady source of water, the town of Fletcher nearly met its demise in the 1890s. Water scarcity coupled with the 1893 Silver Crash, led Donald Fletcher to lose his fortune. As the town endured, citizens shed the name of Fletcher. In 1907, the town board selected the name “Aurora,” from one of the original subdivisions along Colfax Avenue.

Around the same time, developers began planning the town of Fletcher, envisioning it as a refined suburb of Denver. Donald Fletcher, Thomas Hayden, Samuel Marston Perry and Frank Perry combined their holdings into a four-square mile area. This small residential community, filled with Victorian-style homes, provided a quiet escape from the growing city of Denver. When the town of Fletcher incorporated on April 30, 1891, approximately 100 people called it home.

The original borders of Fletcher stretched from present-day Yosemite Street east to Peoria Street and Sixth Avenue north to 26th Avenue. Founded in 1891, it would be another 38 years before the new town opened its first library.

AURORA’S FIRST LIBRARY

The first library in Aurora was quite small and the volumes of books limited, yet mighty was the library operating out of Sarah Wood’s home. The new library‒with $200 cash, 3,100 books, two bookcases, one library table and one oak rocker‒served 906 people in one month! Club members acted as storytellers for children’s story hours. Fundraising continued and supporters organized a house-to-house canvass requesting book donations.

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AURORA’S FIRST LIBRARY

Founded on January 8, 1925, one of the first goals of the Aurora Women’s Club was to establish a public library in Aurora. Club members held card parties, teas, bake sales and sold stationery to raise funds for their new venture. Finally, with a total of $171 raised, they opened a library at 1516 Dallas Street (at the home of Sarah D. Wood) on February 10, 1929, and dedicated it the following October.

By 1944, Aurora’s first library distributed over 83,000 books to over 51,000 people in their first 15 years.

The establishment of Aurora’s first library was a clear indication that the town was a growing community on the Front Range. A few years prior, East Colfax Avenue (cutting through the heart of small-town Aurora) became U.S. Highway 40, part of the nation's first federal highway system. The Fitzsimons Army Hospital brought new people to the area for over a decade. Aurora in 1930, with a new library and a growing community, could only dream of what lay ahead in terms of growth.

In late 1927, Sarah D. Wood joined the Aurora Women’s Club. Her home at 1516 Dallas Street served as the first Aurora Public Library in 1929; the Women’s Club paid her $25 a month in rent. The library was open to the public on Monday and Thursday afternoons. Wood served as the first librarian in Aurora. She remained librarian for nineteen years. Wood, originally from Corning, New York, was an energetic person who raised two sons alone and managed a farm near what is now the Clock Tower Office building on East Sixth Avenue. Wood resigned from her duties as Aurora’s librarian on May 1, 1947. She passed away in July 1955.

During World War II, Sarah Wood lost her grandson, Private 1st Class Harold W. Wood. The young Aurora Marine fought on the Marshall Islands, in Saipan and was killed in the Battle of Iwo Jima.

“Though less than five feet in height, her strength of character and capability manifested itself in her ability to manage the library in her home.”

Yvonne Hardy Central Library Supervisor A History of the Aurora Public Library July 1985

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SARAH D. WOOD

SARAH D. WOOD

This picture of Sarah D. Wood is believed to be the only surviving image of Aurora’s first librarian.

Aurora Advocate, April 1954

LYDIA CLEAVES

Lydia S. Cleaves served as Aurora’s second librarian from 1947 to 1954. In addition to her work in the libraries, she was the first acting president of Aurora’s Parent Teacher Association and the postmistress for Aurora during World War I.

HORNBEIN BUILDING

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The city of Aurora bought Sarah D. Wood’s home library in October 1944.

The little house became overcrowded with books and people. It was clear to many that the city outgrew its humble first library. In 1950, the Volunteer Fire Department donated five lots of land at the corner of East 16th Avenue and North Elmira Street to the Library Board. The donated land, across from City Hall, would serve as the second home for Aurora’s library. While city officials planned construction of the facility, the original library expanded their hours to try and serve a growing community of 14,000 citizens.

After the grand opening of a new library in 1953, the Friend Furniture Company purchased the old library for $18,000. Pictured is Victor Hornbein’s architectural drawing of the library.

Aurorans got their first look at the new library during Aurora Days, September 11 to 12, 1953. Designed by one of Colorado's most famous modern architects, Victor Hornbein, local papers called the facility “attractive and functional,” and “a monument to the dream born some 27 years ago in the hearts of a small group of ladies.”

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HORNBEIN BUILDING

The late 1930s and early 1940s ushered in an era of rapid expansion in Aurora’s history. Lowry Field opened in 1938, bringing thousands of servicemen and their families to Aurora; Fitzsimons General Hospital, which opened in 1918, completed a modern 608-bed hospital, Building 500, in 1941. It was during these years of growth, with new families calling Aurora home, an increased need for expanded library services grew.

The Hornbein Library during construction in March 1953.

Aurora Advocate, September 1953

NEW LIBRARY, 1953

By the early 1960s, Aurora grew to be Colorado’s fourth largest city. Less than a decade after the opening of the Hornbein-designed library on Elmira Street, citizens called for an expansion of the library system. Aurora voters passed a $250,000 bond measure to fund a new library in 1961. With voters’ approval, the city began construction on the new branch at 1298 Peoria Street, just south of the Fitzsimons Army Hospital and adjacent to the thriving neighborhood of Hoffman Heights. The new library was completed in 1963 at a cost of $196,554. Approximately 250 Aurorans attended the public dedication in July 1964.

Library staff, led by Head Librarian Mary Brown, moved the collection to the new 10,000-square-foot facility in 1964. The Elmira Library was redesignated as part of the Municipal Complex, an extension of the neighboring City Hall.

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Constructed as a two-story structure, the lower level met the Office of Civil Defense protection requirements against radioactive fallout and was one of Aurora’s first public atomic bomb shelters.

In 1982, the new Central Library opened on Alameda Avenue, while the Peoria Street facility became the North Branch Library. Wheelchair ramps were constructed for the outside entrances in 1981. The North Branch was remodeled in September 1986, receiving new carpeting, interior paint and improved handicapped accessibility. This remodel required closing the building temporarily while the bookmobile provided library service from the parking lot.

In 2000, Aurora voters approved a library facilities bond to renovate the entire building. Improvements at North Branch Library included a new east entrance, new windows in the building, a joint reference/circulation desk, relocation of the children’s and adult areas inside the library, a new HVAC system and a wireless computer network. The grand reopening was held on March 26, 2004. The name of the library was changed to Hoffman Heights Library to reflect the neighborhood in which it was located.

The Hoffman Heights Library, 2023.

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NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY - HOFFMAN HIEGHTS

NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY

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NEW LIBRARY

Signage on East Colfax Avenue announcing the opening of the North Branch Library (Hoffman Heights), 1964.

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HOFFMAN HEIGHTS LIBRARY

A look at the architectural drawings of the North Branch Library (Hoffman Heights).

Mary Brown was born in Fowler, Colorado. Widowed during World War II and an active member of the League of Women Voters in Aurora, Brown began working in libraries in 1948. She initially trained at the Warren Branch of the Denver Public Library before taking on a position in Aurora under Librarian Lydia Cleaves. Brown eventually served as Head Librarian in 1955.

During her tenure she oversaw the establishment of the Hornbein Library and the South Branch Library. She retired after 29 years of service in 1977. In retirement, Brown worked with the Friends of the Aurora Public Library and pursued passions such as travel and photography.

“The best feeling of satisfaction in being a librarian is helping, that’s the fun part.”

Mary Brown March 1977

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MARY BROWN

MARY BROWN

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BROWSING THE CARD CATALOGUE

Children browse the card catalog at the North Branch Library (Hoffman Heights) in the mid-1960s.

Pauline “Polly” Lincoln came to Aurora in 1924. She was a full-time homemaker until her six children were in school. Throughout her life she was extremely active in the Aurora community and served as a librarian in Aurora for almost 12 years. During World War II, Lincoln worked as a local air raid warden at Buckley Field, Lowry Air Force Base and the Post Office filling roles vacated by servicemen overseas.

She served on the local PTA throughout much of her life and committed nine years to the Aurora School Board. Lincoln accepted an appointment as a Justice of the Peace from 1948 to 1950. She received many awards in her lifetime: “outstanding mothers of Colorado” in 1955 and again in 1960, Aurora’s Woman of the Year in 1958 and the Sertoma Club “Service to Mankind Award” in 1978.

Additionally, Lincoln was appointed by the city council as one of the founding members of the Aurora Historical Commission.

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PAULINE LINCOLN

PAULINE LINCOLN

Pauline Lincoln in 1967, shortly after her retirement from the Aurora Public Library.

Reflecting Aurora’s growth, both in population and geographically, a plan arose to construct a new library in the new subdivision of Mission Viejo. By the early 1970s, the main library in Aurora could no longer keep up with demands for service as customer usage continued to rise. In November 1973, the citizens of Aurora financed a bond measure to build a new library in southeast Aurora on a 2.3-acre plot donated by the Mission Viejo Real Estate Company. Dedicated on August 10, 1975, the 18,980-square-foot building at 15324 East Hampden Circle opened with a collection of 10,000 volumes. By 1978, more than 216,000 items circulated yearly to 100,000 South Branch Library customers, and in 1980 circulation soared to 295,000, an increase of 18.5% over the previous year.

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An architectural drawing of the South Branch Library, circa 1974.

In 2000, Aurora voters approved a Library Facilities Bond to improve the library. Improvements included a new HVAC system, electrical upgrades, the addition of an ADA accessible restroom, modifications to the meeting rooms, the relocation of reference and circulation into one combined desk and new shelving for media materials. The grand reopening of South Branch Library occurred on March 29, 2004, and was renamed to Mission Viejo Library to better reflect the neighborhood in which it was located.

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SOUTH BRANCH LIBRARY - MISSION VIEJO

SOUTH BRANCH LIBRARY

Mission Viejo Library, 2023.

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SOUTH BRANCH CONSTRUCTION

Photograph of the South Branch Library (Mission Viejo) under construction, circa 1974.

DAVID M. PRICE

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DAVID M. PRICE

On June 13, 1977, David M. Price, formerly the assistant director for the Austin Public Library in Austin, Texas, became the fifth library director of Aurora. By 1977, Aurora’s population jumped to 129,000 in a 56-square-mile area. The highest rate of population growth as well as the highest average yearly income occurred in the southeast sector of the city. Aurora experienced a period of phenomenal growth, reflected in the expansion of the library system from a staff of 18 and budget of $231,832 in 1972 to 42 staff members and a budget of $784,920 in 1978. Price’s achievements between the years 1977 to 1983 brought the Aurora Public Library to the forefront of library development in the state. New “Neighborhood Libraries” opened in the 1970s and 1980s under Price’s leadership: Northwest Reading Center (1979), Southwest Reading Center (1980) and Northeast Reading Center (1983). He also oversaw the establishment of the Central Library (1982). Following his tenure as library director, Price served Aurora as deputy city manager. In addition to his time with Aurora and Austin, Texas, Price was the state librarian of West Virginia and the director of the Sonoma County Library System in California. After retiring from public service, Price founded Averus Corporation Library Consulting, which managed public library projects. He passed away in June 2023 at the age of 80.

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Price graduated from Texas A&M University in Kingsville, Texas. He earned a Master of Library Science from North Texas University in Denton and a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

In 1954, the Hornbein Building opened as Aurora’s library. It served as the main branch of the Aurora Public Library for the next 10 years, being replaced by the North Branch Library (Hoffman Heights) in 1964. No longer in use as a library, the building housed offices for both the Parks and Police Departments for the next 15 years. As Aurora’s population continued to expand, the Hornbein Building was again called into library service in 1979, as the Northwest Reading Center. By 1983, the facility served almost 24,000 people yearly. On January 14, 1988, the Northwest Reading Center became the Martin Luther King Jr. Reading Center. In 1991, the city unveiled a recently obtained portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the building during the annual King birthday reception. The building remained a central part of Original Aurora until it closed in 2003.

An exterior look at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Reading Center in the late 1980s.

Today, the building is the home of Red Delicious Press, an artist co-op for fine art printmaking. The building was designated as Aurora Historic Landmark #20 in 2005 for its architectural and cultural significance to the city.

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MLK JR. READING CENTER

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. READING CENTER

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In March 1980, the library leased 2,500 square feet in a commercial strip mall for the new Southwest Reading Center to handle customer overflow from the South Branch Library. Work began early in the year as a conversion team entered books into the automated circulation system. By May, the conversion was complete, and Southwest’s shelves were filled with 8,000 books, magazines, records and tapes prior to the opening dedication.

The exterior of the original Southwest Reading Center in the mid-1980s.

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A relocation map from 1993.

In December 1989, however, with a budget crisis looming, the Aurora City Council targeted Southwest for closure. A determined group of library users sprang up and petitioned the city council and library board with promises of neighborhood support.

Bowing to a flurry of media pressure, the facility reopened in January 1990 with library staff and community volunteers providing service.

In 1991, the library administration investigated possibilities of moving Southwest to a more favorable location in the same quadrant of Aurora. Finally in 1993, the branch moved a few blocks to the north in the Iliff Square Shopping Center. The community supported this move and on January 15, 1993, the new roomy facility opened as the Iliff Square Library.

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SOUTHWEST READING CENTER - ILIFF SQUARE

SOUTHWEST READING CENTER

A photo of the Iliff Square Library, with the Friends of the Aurora Public Library Book Outlet next door.

Through the efforts of the Northeast Aurora Citizen’s Council, the homeowners association and other neighborhood organizations, the Northeast Reading Center opened in 1983, near East 17th Avenue and Altura Boulevard. The building, donated by the Aurora Public Schools as part of a cooperative effort, was remodeled and furnished through funds provided by a Community Development Block Grant.

Due to its somewhat secluded location, the library struggled to attract patrons. The building, although within walking distance of two major arteries, East Colfax Avenue and South Chambers Road, was not close enough to attract users. And due to its proximity to Altura Elementary School, it sometimes appeared to be another school building. In June 2001, The Northeast Reading Center moved to a leased space in the Chambers Plaza Shopping Center and was renamed the Chambers Plaza Library. The library became more visible to the community and patronage increased.

The Aurora Public Schools District absorbed the original building after the library moved.

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As a result of the economic downturn during the Great Recession, the library closed in 2009. The branch remained closed for the next 14 years until it reopened in January 2023.

An interior mural at the Chambers Plaza Library, designed before its grand reopening in 2023.

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NORTHEAST READING CENTER - CHAMBERS PLAZA

NORTHEAST READING CENTER

The opening of Chambers Plaza Library in 2023 marked a return to a seven-library system for the first time since 2009.

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DEDICATION OF AURORA’S CENTRAL LIBRARY

The dedication ceremony of the Central Library held on March 27, 1982.

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INTERIOR OF NEWLY FINISHED CENTRAL LIBRARY

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The Aurora Central Library under construction in 1981.

The proposed location for the Central Library sat adjacent to the Aurora Criminal Justice Center near the geographic center of the city off East Alameda Avenue and South Chambers Road, just east of the new Aurora Mall. The location was home to the historic Gully House and the future site of the Aurora Municipal Center (built in 2003). Construction of the Central Library began in 1980 and the 55,000-square-foot building opened on Saturday, March 27, 1982, at a cost of $3.3 million. By the end of 1982, the Central Library had served 166,673 customers.

The Central Library featured a unique open architectural design with balconies and skylights, as seen in this 1982 interior view of the library.

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The Aurora Central Library, nationally regarded for its architecture and use of space, is the central hub of the library system. Built as part of a regional library concept, the most specialized and in-depth materials were offered at this central location.

Regional and neighborhood branch libraries provided more general interest materials with collections reflecting the special interests of Architectural drawing of the Central Library. certain areas of the city. In 1980, the official “regional management” concept went into effect and construction plans for the Central Library began. The lead architect for the project was Brooks Waldman and it was built by Beudoin Construction Company.

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CENTRAL LIBRARY

CENTRAL LIBRARY

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GULLY HOUSE AND CENTRAL LIBRARY

In the early 1950s, James Gully moved out of the Gully House and into a trailer. He left his family’s possessions inside and the house was looted over the years. A development company purchased the land at East Mississippi Avenue and South Chambers Road in 1976, and sold the house to the city of Aurora, which moved it to a location near the proposed City Center Complex at South Chambers Road and East Alameda Avenue in 1978. The house, already in a state of disrepair, continued to be vandalized at its new location. The city relocated it in 1983 to the newly dedicated DeLaney Open Space Area and restored the house to its former condition. The Gully House is believed to be the oldest standing residential structure in Aurora and serves as an important physical remnant of the area’s past. Pictured is the house next to the Central Library in 1983.

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PRICE IN THE STACKS

Former Aurora Public Library Director David M. Price in the stacks at Central Library, circa 1985.

KACT - CHANNEL 8 In 1980, the city of Aurora renegotiated its cable television contract with Mountain State Video, which included the establishment of four new city-operated cable stations for use by the Library Department. The four channels had different special programing: Government Access, Educational Access, Public Access and Commercial Access. The Central Library housed the new fully equipped television studio: KACT-TV was born.

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In January 1999, Television Services reorganized with the Communications Department and moved away from the Library Department. Shortly after, the staff relocated to the new Aurora Municipal Center, built in March 2003.

From left to right, Ken Kacher, Television Service Assistant, David M. Price, Library and Television Director, at the studio in the Central Library.

Today, AuroraTV produces programming on the city government’s behalf that serves specific priorities and community needs. In Aurora, these priorities include broadcasting and live-streaming City Council meetings, the production of a weekly news program, public affairs programming and other informational programs focusing on city services, community events and more.

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KACT - CHANNEL 8

In 1984, a second studio opened at the Aurora Municipal Building (1470 Havana Street, known as Camelot II) to cover city council meetings and other public hearings. In late 1988, the city acquired a television production van for location programs.

KACT-TV anchors in the late 1980s.

The Recreation Division combined with the Library Department in the summer of 1995. The department name changed to Library, Recreation and Television Services.

In 1999, recreation and library staff began meeting to see how they could cooperatively work to meet the needs of north Aurora residents.

On June 10, 1999, Moorhead hosted an ice cream social for neighborhood residents. At that event, citizens completed a survey identifying what they would like to see at Moorhead. One of the top five answers was “library services.” Soon after, a small, 187 square foot, reading and research center opened. The Moorhead Library Center debuted on August 15, 2000.

The following year, the unique project won an award from the Colorado Library Association for Exemplary Library Services to Ethnic Populations.

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Originally built in 1975 and renovated in 1988, the Moorhead Recreational Center recently expanded in 2017. But for a brief time in the early 2000s, the recreation center became part of the library system.

Moorhead Recreation Center in the early 2000s.

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MOORHEAD LIBRARY CENTER

MOORHEAD LIBRARY CENTER

In 2017, construction began on a total renovation of the 44-year-old recreation center. Moorhead expanded from 5,000 square feet to almost 26,000 square feet.

By 2000, Aurora’s population surpassed a quarter million citizens and most of the new development in the city occurred to the south and east of the original historic boundaries. Underserved by the Aurora Public Library system, a 2000 bond measure, sought to remedy the lack of library access to Aurorans living in the south part of the city. This same funding established the MLK Library on East Colfax Avenue and provided money for system-wide improvements.

The new facility, named Tallyn’s Reach Municipal Services Center, housed the Tallyn’s Reach Library, Fire Station No. 13, Police District III, and the communications center for the emergency call center (9-1-1).

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The library opened on March 23, 2004, with a collection of 56,000 books and other media. The cost of construction totaled $17.5 million.

Tallyn’s Reach under construction in 2004.

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TALLYN’S REACH LIBRARY

TALLYN’S REACH LIBRARY

An exterior look at the library as seen in 2023.

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The 2000 library funding bond established a municipal service center, to be built on East Colfax Avenue. The new facility was designed in conjunction with the city’s Community Development Division and Original Aurora Renewal Program. Designer Michael Brendle modeled the library after the existing architecture on East Colfax Avenue.

The library is approximately 10,000 square feet and built very close to the original library at Sarah Wood’s home. The grand opening of the new MLK Library took place on May 4, 2004, and can house 25,000-plus items. The library shares space with the Aurora Police Department.

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A view of the dedication ceremony in 2004.

Did you know Aurora is the only city in the state of Colorado to have a library named after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?

The city of Aurora commissioned Jeff Hall of Lovettsville, Virgina, to create a statue of Dr. King, which was installed in 2015 outside the MLK Jr. Library. The seven-foot-tall bronze sculpture shows Dr. King’s gentle yet fighting spirit. He is clutching a script and standing on top of a mountain range, in reference to his famous speech and the Rocky Mountains.

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MLK LIBRARY ON COLFAX

MLK LIBRARY ON COLFAX

The economic downturn from 2007 to 2009, known as the “Great Recession,” impacted the Aurora Public Library system. In 2009, the city’s budget cuts forced the closure of four of the seven libraries in Aurora: Mission Viejo Library, Chambers Plaza Library, Iliff Square Library and Hoffman Heights Library were all shut down. Fortunately, as the economy recovered, all four libraries reopened: Mission Viejo in 2011, Hoffman Heights in 2013, Iliff Square in 2016, and Chambers Plaza Library finally reopened in 2023. As of today, the system is back to its pre-recession operation of seven libraries.

Aurora Sentinel, January 2010

THE GREAT RECESSION

THE GREAT RECESSION

Mission Viejo Library staff leaving the night the branch was closed on December 31, 2009.

THE BOOKMOBILE

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Aurora’s first bookmobile with library staff in 1959. From left to right: Librarian Mary Brown, Librarian Pauline Lincoln, City Clerk Ray Johnson and bookmobile driver Tom Vasko.

Eventually, the first bookmobile broke down and was deemed unrepairable.

In place of immediate disposal, the library decided to tow the vehicle to north Aurora to act as a temporary location until the Northwest Reading Center opened.

A much larger vehicle was purchased in 1977 to serve the city. Bookmobile services ended in the late 1980s, though in July 1990, the Friends of the Aurora Public Library repurposed one as a book outlet. In the 2010s, library staff used a Dodge van as the “Info2GO” van servicing locations, such as farmers markets, senior living facilities and the Stanley Marketplace.

In February 2023, the library acquired a 119-square-foot vehicle and is once again serving Aurorans with a bookmobile.

The current bookmobile includes a Wi-Fi connection, sound system, lift for book carts and large awning to provide outdoor space.

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THE BOOKMOBILE

In August 1958, Library Board Chairman, Martin Miller, proposed a library bookmobile to the City Council Budget Committee. Thanks to a city surplus and council support, a vehicle was purchased in early 1959 and bookmobile services began in June that same year. During its first month of operation, the bookmobile circulated 1,620 items and issued 25 new library cards. The city purchased a second vehicle in 1972 for $22,000, expanding the popular bookmobile service.

THE BOOKMOBILE THROUGH THE YEARS

1970s

2000s

2023

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1960s