[1] As new industries brought the city of Pensacola to life in the latter parts of the 19th century, residents were without formal library services and limited to buying books and exchanging reading materials amongst themselves.

[4] These conditions included a demonstrated financial need for the funding, an appropriate site for the construction, willingness to provide staffing and allot ten percent annually to support the library's operation, and equal access to all patrons regardless of race or color [4] As Pensacola was unable to provide a site or future support for such a library, it was unable to obtain the funds.

Furthermore, despite repeated requests, the library association remained unwilling to provide free access to all members of the community, forcing their eventual exclusion from all Carnegie grant monies.

In February 1937, the Pensacola City Council passed an ordinance to establish a free public library and it created a five-member board.

In January 1938, Lucia Tryon was hired as librarian to convert Old Christ Church to the city's first formal public library which opened on February 15, 1938 with 3352 books.