One of the eight original Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh branches, the Wylie Avenue library, located in the Hill District, was the third branch built and was dedicated on June 1, 1899. The library served customers of many nationalities and provided books in 15 languages, including Hebrew, Russian, Romanian, Italian, German, Polish, French, Swedish, and Welsh. Over the first eight months, the branch was overwhelmingly successful.
During its peak, the Library circulated 220,330 books a year. From 1920 to 1949, the Hill gradually became a predominately African American neighborhood as other ethnic populations moved to other areas. The library's focus on foreign language books shifted to fit the changing demographic and to accommodate the interests and needs of the changing community. It was during this era that the Wylie Branch developed an extensive African American Collection.
In June 1971, Wylie Branch became a part of Inner-City Services department under the supervision of Ms. Elizabeth E. Combs. It began as a highly experimental endeavor, based upon plans formulated by members of the community. At this time the Wylie Avenue Branch also reversed its downward trend in use. Special library programs were presented and the number of groups used the library as a meeting place also increased. Due to a deteriorating building, the Wylie Avenue library was relocated to a new space at 419 Dinwiddle Street within the Phoenix Hill Mall, approximately 500 feet from the original building in 1982. It was at this time the branch was renamed Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh-Hill District.
Credit:
https://historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt%3ACLP.20170725.001/viewer