NORCROSS, Ga. — The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation announced Tuesday that it had sold a more than century-old historic library in Gwinnett County to the City of Norcross, setting it up to be preserved after it was previously set to be demolished.
In August, the Norcross Women’s Club, which was based in the library, donated the building to the Georgia Trust in a bid to preserve state history.
The building was the first public library in Gwinnett County and is 103 years old, with a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
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At the time of its donation, the Trust said it was looking for a buyer who could replace the roof and touch up the inside and outside of the building, though overall it was still in good shape.
Now, the City of Norcross will be the stewards of the historic building after purchasing it from the organization for $450,000 and local historic protections.
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“From our initial involvement with the Norcross Woman’s Club, our primary goal has been to ensure the legal protection and necessary investment in the property to preserve the history of the building for another 100 years,” Georgia Trust President and CEO Wright Mitchell said, adding that “That the council has committed to spending $230,000 in 2025 towards appropriate rehabilitation is another step toward our desired outcome.”
The library will be incorporated into the nearby historic zoning district, according to Mitchell and was given a preservation easement and will be under the management of the Norcross Historic Preservation Commission.
The commission “has responsibility for making sure that the building is properly rehabilitated and maintained. It is now up to the citizens of Norcross to hold the Mayor, City Council and Historic Preservation Commission accountable for the long-term preservation of this important landmark. We are grateful to the Norcross Woman’s Club for donating this building to the Georgia Trust so that it may be protected for future generations to visit and enjoy,” Mitchell said.
According to the Trust, the building was built in 921 after the Woman’s Club approached various businessmen to donate in support of building a library. The resulting structure is a Carnegie-style Greek Revival and designed by Oliver Duke Wheeler, of Charlotte, N.C. with design approval by Andrew Carnegie.
In 1966, the Trust said the library had grown to 24,000 books in circulation and 1,400 members, so it moved to a new building. The original structure then became the Norcross Woman’s Club’s organizational home.
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