Designed by Herbert D. Hale and Henry G. Morse,[4] the building was constructed with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation and opened in 1905.

[5][6] It closed in 1986 with the relocation of the library's main branch to the former South Jersey Gas, Electric and Traction Company Office Building.

[7] In 2003, funding was found for its stabilization, with the hope that it would be preserved and re-used.

[4][8] The city's once extensive library system has been beleaguered by financial difficulties.

In 2010, it threatened to close but was incorporated by the county library system.