Carnegie Library, Academy Street, Coatbridge

Alexander Cullen, 1905. Large 2-storey and basement, rectangular-plan, 7-bay, Beaux-Arts style public library, built on falling ground. Pink ashlar sandstone front, channelled at basement, ground floor and quoin strips, stugged and snecked rubble elsewhere, steeply pitched piended slate roof. Windows at 5 centre bays, multi-pane; paired and keystoned to basement, paired to principal floor with banded architraved and consoled cornices, tripartite to 1st floor. Windows at left pavilion; architraved and corniced to basement, architraved and segmental-headed to principal floor with mannered segmental pediment, tripartite with colonette mullions to 1st. Windows at right pavilion; bipartite to principal floor with banded architrave and mannered segmental pediment, tripartite to 1st floor as left pavilion. Ionic capitalled pilaster strips at 1st floor; corbelled wallhead cornice; stepped parapets at pavilions with 'CARNEGIE' to left and 'LIBRARY' to right. FRONT ELEVATION: door at 2nd bay from right approached by steps with cheeks and cast-iron railings, keystoned and blocked architrave doorcase with corniced lintel and pedimented panel, 4 windows to left and at basement, 5 windows to 1st floor; pavilion slightly advanced to right, bipartite window to principal floor and tripartite to 1st; pavilion slightly advanced to left, door and 2 windows to basement, 3 windows to principal floor, tripartite to 1st.

LEFT RETURN GABLE: channelled giant pilasters with open pediment, various symmetrical windows to lower floors, diocletian window to upper floor.INTERIOR: Not seen.

BOUNDARY WALL AND GATEPIERS: stepped coped ashlar boundary wall, 2 octagonal ashlar piers with corniced caps and squat clawfoot metal lampstandards (modern lanterns), low quadrant walls with original railings link to steps to main door; 2 pyramidal-capped gatepiers to service entrance at left.