Sumner Library sits in Minneapolis's Near North neighbourhood, with as a unique brick and stucco building with steep gables and dark timbering. It looks more like it belongs in the English countryside than on a city street. The Carnegie Corporation built it 1915, one of four Carnegie libraries in the city. It was built specifically for the working class immigrant families living nearby. You can easily shoot this building straight on from across Van White Memorial Boulevard so you can get the whole symmetrical front, featuring the tower in the middle balanced by a gable on each side. If you prefer a more detailed shooting style you can move in closer for the timber framing and brick patterning against the stucco. Low sun brings out all that texture nicely. Inside you'll find the original vaulted ceilings and arched openings, still intact from 1915. Not much has changed over the years, it is still filled with the original oak trim from 1915 running through the woodwork. The fireside reading room is worth exploring too. It now holds the library's African American history and culture collection. The building was actually moved 100ft north in 1938 to make way for a new highway. Two additions have gone up since, so parts of what you're photographing are newer than they look. It is still a working public library, so it is free to enter during open hours. Photography inside is usually fine if you're respectful of the people using the space, though it's recommended you check with the front desk first. (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA)
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