Norcross Woman’s Club Old Library

Norcross - Gwinnett County
c. 1921

The Story

The Norcross Woman’s Club was founded in 1905 by civic-minded women involved with the National Library Movement. The women approached various businessmen and philanthropists, including Andrew Carnegie, for donations to support the construction of a library building and by 1921, they had raised enough funds to construct the first library in Gwinnett County. After growing to 24,000 books in circulation and 1,400 registered members by 1966, the library was relocated to a new building. The original library building was periodically used as a storage facility and a country store run by members of the Norcross Woman’s Club.

The Threat

The Norcross Woman’s Club has retained ownership of the building, but they struggle with the building’s continual maintenance needs, as well as finding a sustainable use for the building. The building sits next to a vacant lot in a prime location for development. The city has rejected proposals for a historic preservation ordinance, leaving the library even more vulnerable to development.