The building is in the Collegiate Gothic style, with polygonal towers on either side of the main entrance, a crenellated parapet, and terra cotta trim.

Neighbors rallied in 2004, when the Bancroft Neighborhood Association voted to give $7,000 to the Hosmer branch following a presentation by Woodstrom so that the library could be open five days a week.

[14] He successfully petitioned the Kingfield Neighborhood Association in October 2004 for a Social Services Grant in the amount of $5,000 towards for cultural and community programs.

Previously, Woodstrom developed the Hosmer Library Talent Show, a cherished annual event for the neighborhood's performers, which made its debut in 1998.

[21] By 1996 it was determined that the building required a major overhaul to meet patrons' needs, and the Minneapolis Library Board considered closing Hosmer.

Faced with that possibility, neighbors from Central, Bryant, Powderhorn Park and Kingfield banded together, and contributed more than $157,000 in Neighborhood Revitalization Program funds to ensure that their treasured library would stay open and get the necessary upgrades.

Annually, the birthday of James Hosmer is celebrated at the branch with festivities and an exhibit about his important contributions to the city of Minneapolis libraries.