Former Preston Carnegie Library, Cambridge ON

The history of the public library in Preston dates back to the foundation of the Mechanics’ Institute by local magnate Otto Klotz in 1871. A native of Kiel, Germany, Klotz emigrated to Upper Canada in his twenties and settled with the German émigré community in Preston in 1837. From humble beginnings as a farmhand, he grew into a respected businessman thanks to a series of profitable ventures: first a brewery, then a hotel and a handful of stores.

In 1909, his son Otto Julius Klotz petitioned the Carnegie Foundation for funds to establish a public library building and perpetuate the work of the Mechanics’ Institute founded by his father. The architect retained for the project was William Edward Binning, who had already built several Carnegie libraries in the region. Modest in size, the brick and stone building nevertheless featured an imposing Neoclassical columned portico crowned by an unusual semicircular pediment. The new library opened in 1910.

The Preston public library remained in this building until 1973, when Preston amalgamated into the municipality of Cambridge, Ontario. That year, its library, now a branch of the Cambridge public library, moved to its current location on King St. The Carnegie building then served as a meeting place for local clubs and youth groups before being sold to private ownership. Now used as a small office building, it has been well maintained and cared for and achieved heritage classification in 2023.

The images shown here are from April 2019.

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