Citizens for Historic and Preservation Services (CHAPS) of Butler County is holding a public meeting on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 concerning the abandoned Carnegie Library building in Middletown. The meeting is open to all interested parties and will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish House Theater of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 212 S. Broad Street, Middletown. CHAPS intends to accomplish four goals with the meeting: 1) present historic significance of the library, 2) gauge local interest and concern, 3) discuss ideas for a sustainable reuse, and 4) attempt to form a committee charged with exploring alternatives for the library. Jerry Leshner, President of CHAPS, and Sam Ashworth, President of the Middletown Historical Society and CHAPS Advisory Board Member, will conduct the meeting.

Once a symbol of civic pride, the Carnegie Library in Middletown will be demolished if no buyer is found for the building at an upcoming Sheriff’s Sale. The imposing building opened with a $25,000 Carnegie grant just months before the Great Flood of 1913, suffering only minimal damage. Designed by George Barkman of Hamilton, the library is the only Carnegie ever to be designed by a Butler County architect. The building received additions in 1932 and 1959 before being abandoned for a new big-box style library that opened closer to downtown in 1983. Acquired by a women’s shelter, the building was temporarily occupied, but has been vacant for several years. Now, the roof is crumbling, the windows have been broken out, the grass is left uncut, and the building is a constant victim of vandalism because of its vacancy.

Middletown is at a crossroads. With past losses of the post office and city building, the recent demolition of the YMCA, and ongoing demolition of Middletown’s historic schools, the city is quickly losing its historic civic buildings. CHAPS hopes the community will join together to save this irreplaceable piece of the city’s history.