Thanks to Dr. Thomas D. Parke, a founder of Children’s Hospital and a specialist in pediatric diseases, there has been a neighborhood library on the corner of 11th Avenue South and 19th Street since 1945. It was through their deep love of libraries and intellectual pursuits that Dr. Parke and his wife Amy Smith gave their home to the city for use as a branch library. Parke’s endowment also included a generous amount of money for buying books, and partially funded a new building which replaced the house in 1955. This building served the community for almost 40 years. The present building, designed to complement existing local structures, opened its doors on March 17, 1996.