Cattermole Memorial Library
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Cattermole Memorial Library
| nrhp_type = indcp
| nocat = yes
| partof = Fort Madison Downtown Commercial Historic District
| partof_refnum = 07000852
| image = Cattermole Memorial Library.JPG
| caption =
| location= 614 7th St.
Fort Madison, Iowa
| coordinates = {{coord|40|37|53|N|91|18|34|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Iowa#USA
| area =
| built = 1893-1894
| builder = J.C. Sunderland
| architect =
| architecture = Richardsonian Romanesque
| added = April 5, 1984
| mpsub= {{NRHP url|id=64500180|title=Public Library Buildings in Iowa TR}}
| refnum= 84001267{{NRISref|2009a}}}}
Cattermole Memorial Library is a historic building located in Fort Madison, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In 2007 it was included as a contributing property in the Fort Madison Downtown Commercial Historic District.
History
The first library in Fort Madison was a reading room established in the late 1870s by the White Ribbon Society, a local temperance group. It grew to such an extent that by 1884 the City Circulation Library was founded.{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=84001267}}|title=Cattermole Memorial Library|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=2015-12-16|author=}} with {{NRHP url|id=84001267|photos=y|title=photo}} This collection formed the nucleus of what would become the Cattermole Memorial Library in the next decade. Elizabeth Cattermole funded the construction of the building as a memorial for her husband Henry. He had made his fortune in pork packing and banking. Henry had stipulated in his will that $10,000 be used to build a training school. It was an insufficient amount of money to build the school so the money was set aside. Elizabeth recognized the need for a public library in Fort Madison and contributed $30,000 towards the effort to build a new building.{{cite web|url=http://fortmadison.com/mainstreet/facadegrant/cattermole/|title=614 7th Street – Cattermole Memorial Library|publisher=Fort Madison Partners|accessdate=2015-12-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151128130419/http://fortmadison.com/mainstreet/facadegrant/cattermole/#|archive-date=2015-11-28|url-status=dead}} She also contributed $500 towards the purchase of new books. This is the earliest extant example of local philanthropic support in Iowa for the construction of a building dedicated for use as a public library. Elizabeth died before the project was completed.
Architecture
Architecturally, the building is a combination of the Loire chateau and Richardsonian Romanesque styles. The exterior of the 2½-story structure is composed of brick with terracotta and stone trim. It is capped with a hipped roof. Roof dormers are located on the north and west elevations. The dominant feature of the building is a corner tower with a conical roof. An addition was added to the rear of the building in 1954.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{Lee County NRHP}}
Category:Library buildings completed in 1894
Category:Former library buildings in the United States
Category:Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Iowa
Category:Buildings and structures in Lee County, Iowa
Category:Buildings and structures in Fort Madison, Iowa
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Lee County, Iowa
Category:Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa