[3] The city passed a $2,000 annual tax to cover the library's maintenance.

Peoria architecture firm Hotchkiss & Harris supplied a Classical Revival design for the building, and construction began in 1910 and was completed the following year.

[3] The library became popular with neighborhood residents, setting city records for daily circulation; it also held special collections serving the city's Lebanese and German immigrant communities.

[3] In June 2009, the library was designed by the City of Peoria as a local historic landmark.

[4] The library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 28, 2014.