The original Bridgeport Public Library

Black and white photograph showing the building which would become the first major Bridgeport Public Library building at the southwest corner of Main and John Streets. Initially numbered at 347 Main Street and later re-numbered at 965 Main Street, the building was donated by Catherine Burroughs Pettingill upon her death in 1883. The Bridgeport Library Association had originally been formed in 1850 as a private, subscription library located at 440 Main Street near Fairfield Avenue since 1869. Then, in 1881, the Bridgeport Public Library was formed and the Association transferred its property to the new institution. After several years of fundraising, the move to the new building would take place in 1888. The new building was known as "The Bridgeport Public Library and Reading Rooms" as well as simply the Burroughs Library. The Library occupied the upper three floors with street-level shops, such as John Keane's clothing store and R.T. Whiting's grocery store, providing steady rental revenue to the Library. The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company was next door. This would be the public library until the current building at 925 Broad Street opened in 1927.