Author to Chronicle the History of Carnegie Museums and Library

What do you know regarding the history of Andrew Carnegie and his museums and libraries? 

Local author Robert J. Gangewere will discuss his new book, "Palace of Culture: Andrew Carnegie’s Museums and Library in Pittsburgh," at  at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27.

"I think it's an important story for western Pennsylvanians to understand," Gangewere said. "And, there hasn't been an easy way of explaining it."

As the former 30-year editor of Carnegie Magazine, Gangewere retired in 2004 and spent five years working on his book. He said he wrote about the subject constantly and wasn't surprised it had never been written about—it's information overload.

Believing that education and culture were not just for the wealthy, Andrew Carnegie founded the Carnegie Institute in 1896, which included a music hall, art museum and science museum.

Today, his cultural institution has expanded to include a library, music hall, natural history museum, art museum, science center, the Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie International art exhibition.

"It's complicated," Gangewere said. "The libraries are separate from the museums—different funding. It's a wonderful institution and it tends to be taken for granted because it's been here so long."

In this first history of the Carnegie Museums and Library of Pittsburgh, Gangewere details the political turmoil, budgetary constraints and cultural tides that have influenced the caretakers and the collections.

"It's a place that's continually growing," he told Patch. "It's very up-to-date and a place to be quite proud of."

He profiles the benefactors, trustees, directors and administrators who have stewarded the collections through the years and provided individual histories of the library, music hall, museums and science center.

"The whole place was designed to be free," he said. "A lot of people went with their school (as a child) and haven't been back in 20 years. It's no longer a thing people do spur of the moment. 

"By the time you pay an entrance fee, park, eat and buy something, you've spent $50-60. It's well worth it, but you're not going to do it all of the time—so a lot of people purchase a membership. Admission prices were originally a dollar."

Gangewere said he plans to discuss this more in-depth at the discussion. 

As an adjunct professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University, he is also the author and/or editor of several books, including "The Bridges of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County" and "The Exploited Eden: Literature on the American Environment."

"Palace of Culture" is available online and at Barnes & Noble. A book signing will follow the program.

To attend, register by emailing programs@ptlibrary.org or call 724.941.9430.

In the meantime, visit carnegiespalaceofculture.com. Gangewere features chapter previews and many stories he edited out of the book—supplements, he said.

After speaking in Peters, he said he plans to address patrons at Mt. Lebanon and Sewickley libraries.

This article first appeared on Peters Patch.