In 1914, Andrew Carnegie made a $25,000 (nearly $800,000 adjusted for inflation) grant for a neighborhood library in St. Anthony Park. The St. Anthony Park Improvement Association raised $3,200 ($98,159 adjusted) to pay for the site, one of the conditions for a grant. The St. Anthony Park Branch Library was one of three Carnegie libraries to open in St. Paul in 1917 and one of 2,509 libraries funded by Carnegie before his death in 1919.

During the Great Depression, the library began to deteriorate. Prof. J.O. Christianson gathered a group of library lovers to renovate the building, and they hey raised $1,700 ($98,159 adjusted ) to redecorate the library. In 1934 they organized the St. Anthony Park Branch Library Association (SAPBLA). In the 1980s the building again needed renovation. SAPBLA raised $6,594 ($19,173) to help pay for the restoration, and the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library donated $1,000 ($2908). On Sept. 11, 1988, the Association sponsored a celebration in gratitude for everyone who helped plan and bring about the library restoration.

In 1999 an addition was built behind the main building. Designed by local architect Philip Broussard, this part of the building houses a children’s reading room, elevator, informal reading area, and librarian’s work space. The children’s collection is funded through a bequest from Virginia Sohre, and it makes the St. Anthony Park Branch Library a destination for young families, teachers, and classes from nearby St. Anthony Park Elementary School. SAPBLA supports summer reading and activity programs, helping keep thousands of children engaged in reading throughout the summer. We sponsor a new series for adults, the 2nd Thursday Forum, presented monthly, that focuses on topics of interest in the community. The Association also funds some library equipment and landscaping and building improvement projects, as well as sponsoring a Fourth of July essay contest. The annual St. Anthony Park Arts Festival and Book Sale, held the first weekend in June, are the Association’s major fundraisers.