Pueblo, Colorado, Given
$4 Million toward “Landmark” Library
The Pueblo (Colo.) City–County Library District has received a $4-million gift that is intended to guarantee that the new $20-million McClelland Public Library can be built according to the architect’s design. The gift, the largest ever given to a local community organization, came from Robert H. Rawlings, publisher of the Pueblo Chieftain newspaper.
In 1999, Pueblo voters approved a $14-million bond issue to build the library on a site with spectacular views of the city and the surrounding mountains. When dollar estimates indicated that architect Antoine Predock’s design would have to be scaled back because of cost, Rawlings stepped forward, saying, “It seemed to me that they were cutting out the very things that will make [the library] such a treasure for the people of Pueblo.”
Glenn Ballantyne, library board chair, said the gift “will mean the difference between just another library and a landmark, a work of architectural art.”
After Rawlings revealed his gift, Ken West of Houston Construction Corp. donated $100,000 for a fountain in the courtyard. Pueblo residents are raising another $1 million, and library investments are expected to generate $1 million.
Posted December 18, 2000.
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