Woodlawn Library

Woodlawn Library in 2002

The Woodlawn Branch Library or (or Birmingham Public Library Woodlawn Branch) is a branch of the Birmingham Public Library located at 5709 1st Avenue North in Woodlawn.

The first Woodlawn Library was created in 1904 by the efforts of the Women's Club of Woodlawn. It occupied space in the Woodlawn City Hall and received an annual contribution from the Woodlawn Board of Aldermen of $25 per year for the purchase of books. When Woodlawn was annexed into Birmingham on January 1, 1911, the Woodlawn Library, with its 890 books, became the first branch of the Birmingham Public Library, then operated by the Birmingham Board of Education.

The current $80,000 building was designed by E. B. Van Keuren and constructed by A. L. Sullivan. It opened on October 29, 1950. The building's dedication featured speeches by Senator Lister Hill, Mayor Cooper Green, Public Safety Commissioner Bull Connor and Birmingham Public Library director Emily Danton. Poplar Camp No. 118 of the Woodmen of the World donated a flagpole and flag to the library. It is a contributing property to the Woodlawn Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Librarians

• Frances Perryman and Catherine Patterson, 1904–
• Pearl Sandifer, –1920
• Gay Sandefur, –July 1944
• Mary Ruth Martin, July 1944–December 24, 1947

References

• Cruikshank, George H. (1920) History of Birmingham and Its Environs: A Narrative Account of Their Historical Progress, Their People, and Their Principal Interests 2 volumes. Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Company. - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• "Miss Mary Martin Leaves Woodlawn Library Dec. 24" (December 19, 1947) East End News - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• Campbell, Joe (October 30, 1950) "Woodlawn library dedicated" The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• Schneider, David B. and Christy Anderson (2003) "Woodlawn Historic District National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" National Park Service