The Colored Library Association of Savannah formed in 1906 to establish a public library for African American residents. First using rented facilities and subletting part of that space to pay for subscriptions, the group ultimately received $12,000 from the Carnegie Library Association and, with $3,000 raised locally, hired Savannah architect Kops to design this building. With its textured bricks in red and black and its sandstone detailing, the design reflects Arts and Crafts traditions, as well as Prairie Style with its simple projecting cornice, and features a prominent central stair leading to a large open-space interior. The library fostered the educational enrichment of Pulitzer Prize—winning author James Alan McPherson, state senator Regina Thomas, Floyd Adams and Otis Johnson (two of Savannah’s mayors), and U.S. Supreme Court associate justice Clarence Thomas. In continuous use from its opening until 1997, the building was saved from demolition in 2001 by local and national efforts. Its reopening in 2004 was celebrated with two new wings, one of which was dedicated to Justice Thomas.