The current projected cost of renovating and restoring Waukegan's Carnegie Library, frequented by Ray Bradbury as a young boy, is $10 million. As of April 2021, the restoration project is almost 70% funded, with the money coming from private sources. For more information about the project, click on the link below:
Back in 1996, Ray Bradbury did a signing for QUICKER THAN THE EYE at the Waukegan Public Library, which I attended. For sale at his signing were sweatshirts promoting the preservation of the Waukegan's Carnegie Library, with the sweatshirt proclaiming it as "Ray Bradbury's Library". I bought one of the sweatshirts at the event, and Ray offered to sign it for me. I declined, telling Ray that if he signed it, I would never be able to wash it for fear of ruining his signature! I wore the sweatshirt years later on a visit to Los Angeles to see Ray, and I still remember the big smile on his face when he saw it.
It is great to realize that, almost 25 years later, the goal of preserving and restoring Waukegan's Carnegie Library is coming closer and closer to actually happening.
Incidentally, I have discovered that wearing that sweatshirt while taking a walk is a great way to meet people, who read what's on it and enjoy stopping to talk about Ray and their love for his books.
Below is a link to a photo of my favorite sweatshirt:
Successful fundraising efforts towards the renovation of the Carnegie Library in Waukegan continue. Last December, it was announced that the Waukegan Historical Society had secured a private five million dollar donation for use in that renovation. As the story to which the link below begins: "...Ray Bradbury’s old stomping grounds, the Carnegie Library, is getting closer to becoming the new home of the Waukegan Historical Society and Waukegan History Museum."
And just a few days ago, it was announced that the federal government will be providing an additional three million dollars to assist in the Library's renovation. Hopefully, the re-opening of Ray's boyhood library is not that far away:
The groundbreaking ceremony, in connection with the transformation of the former Carnegie Library in Waukegan, Illinois into the Waukegan History Library at the Carnegie, took place on a chilly October 18, 2022. To view that groundbreaking ceremony, click on the link below. The project is expected to be completed in about a year or so. And, yes, Ray Bradbury is briefly mentioned at about the 14-minute mark!
When we visited Waukegan about five years ago, seeing the Carnegie Library was on our list of "RB must-sees," along with the Ravine, the Bradbury Homestead, and the downtown where all of the shops were frequented by Douglas, Tom, and John Huff during that wonderful Summer of 1928!
To have raised thirteen million dollars in securing this historic renovation is a truly incredible feat. Those involved all had to have vision, commitment, and a shared passion in guiding the project through each step of the way.
In listening to the enthusiasm of the speakers, even on the very blustery Illinois day of the ceremony, it is quite evident they were ALL IN from the outset of this great community centered venture. A Ray Bradbury Room seems appropriate when the final pieces are all put in place.
And on a wall, maybe the final nail tapped purposefully in should secure an especially attractive sign that reads: "Love is at the center of your life. The things that you do should be things that you love, and the things that you love, should be things that you do. That’s what books teach us!" ~Ray Bradbury
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The renovation of the Carnegie Library in Ray Bradbury's hometown of Waukegan, Illinois is in full swing, and is expected to be completed in about twelve months. And the children's library room in the Waukegan Carnegie Library will be devoted to Ray. Since he spent much of his childhood in that Library, I know he would greatly appreciate that honor. For a recent newspaper article on the status of the Carnegie restoration efforts (with Ray prominently mentioned several times), click on the link below:
It's official. Ray Bradbury's personal collection of books and artifacts that he donated to the Waukegan Public Library will be placed on display at the library of his childhood, the Carnegie Library in Waukegan, Illinois, once its renovation is completed. For additional information, click on the link below:
“The most appropriate site to house the Bradbury collection is the 1903 Carnegie building at Washington and Sheridan in downtown Waukegan. That building, when it housed Waukegan’s Public Library, nurtured my love affair with books and authors.”
For those with an interest in seeing the progress being made in the renovation of the Carnegie Library in Waukegan, Illinois, the link below will take you to the Library's Facebook page, on which it has posted several videos of the construction work over the past few months, including separate videos for February and March of 2024. If you check out the February, 2024 video, you will get an early view of what will eventually be the Ray Bradbury Reading Room. I can't wait for the project to be finished, and to see the library Ray frequented as a young boy restored to its full glory!
The restoration of the Carnegie Library in Waukegan, Illinois...the library used by Ray Bradbury as a youngster...is nearing the finish line! For the latest update on the restoration project, which was posted on YouTube yesterday, May 28, click on the link below. A discussion of the Library's new Ray Bradbury Reading Room begins at about the 3:05 mark:
The restoration of the Carnegie Library in Waukegan, Illinois continues! The link below will take you to the June, 2024 update, with the latest view of the Ray Bradbury Reading Room starting at about the 1:20 point:
For the July, 2024 update on the renovation of the Carnegie Library in Waukegan, Illinois (the library Ray Bradbury used as a child), click on the link below. The Library is still on schedule to re-open later this year:
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