Braddock has seen its share of endings: the end of its heyday as a bustling steel community, the end of many local businesses and most recently the announcement of the possible end of UPMC Braddock in late January.

But the Braddock Carnegie Library -- the first of more than 1,600 Carnegie libraries built across the country -- has withstood all the upheaval and downturns and is celebrating its 120th anniversary.

About 100 people gathered at the library at 419 Library St. over the weekend to commemorate the occasion. The event featured live jazz music, silent and Chinese auctions and a history mystery hunt requiring guests to talk to actors dressed up like Henry Clay Frick and the library's founder Andrew Carnegie to learn answers to a trivia game.

"Right now there are six of us employed [at the library] so it means a great deal to us," Executive Director Victoria Vargo said about the milestone. "It's something we've all pitched in to work on, and it's something we've all pitched in to celebrate."

A number of volunteers ranging from teenagers to senior citizens also have contributed to the library's longevity, she said. Many were on hand Saturday to take part in the festivities.

"When you come to an event like this, it helps me see that there are people who have cared about this place for a long time [and there are people] who will still do things for it in the future as well," said Elisabeth Heffner, 22, of East Liberty, who works at the library as an AmeriCorps volunteer.

Others saw the event as a trip down memory lane.

"I had totally forgotten that as a 7-year-old I learned how to swim in the [pool at the] library," said event chair Vernon Irvin, a Braddock native and the executive vice president of XM Satellite Radio. "It brought back all sorts of childhood memories."

Several others reminisced about days when school plays and graduation ceremonies were held in the library's music hall.

The event also was about looking forward. The library was rededicated and a new logo for the institution adorned programs handed out to guests. Proceeds raised from the evening will go toward helping the library continue to be around for future generations.

"It was very important for us to say, 'No, we're not closing our doors because we're needed in the community,' " Ms. Vargo said. "It is [a] bad economic time now, but there are ways that you can survive and ways that you can continue to serve."

Public service has long been at the core of the Braddock Carnegie Library, which opened in 1889. The library was initially meant to serve only the families of workers at Carnegie's nearby steel mill, U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Works.

In 1893, a swimming pool, music hall and gymnasium were added and became local epicenters for entertainment. At the time, few homes were equipped with indoor plumbing, so the library also was one of a handful of places offering such luxuries as a bath.

The library thrived throughout the glory days of the steel boom during the years leading up to World War II.

The Braddock School District took over the library in the early 1960s. As the decade wore on, nearby shopping centers, the ability to drive to and from work and better job opportunities elsewhere took people away from Braddock -- and away from the library.

The library closed its doors in 1974, only one year after being named to the National Register of Historic Places. The structure likely would have been demolished if it had not been for its historic designation.

Former head librarian David Solomon set out to bring new life to the vandalized library by helping to form the Braddock's Field Historic Society, which purchased the library for one dollar in 1979. Mr. Solomon and a number of volunteers set to work restoring the library little by little, with the first room reopening in 1982.

"Without Dave Solomon, this would all be in a landfill," said board member John Hempel, who has helped oversee such updates as the library's new roof and the installation of a mural on the music hall's ceiling in the late '90s.

Renovations continue to this day, with more updates to the theater and other rooms hopefully taking place in the future, Ms. Vargo said. For now, she is focused on making ends meet.

"We've had our share of pinching pennies and budgeting," she said, including cutting hours, staff and programs.

"It's been hard the past few years, but it's starting to level off," she said.

The library now operates 33 hours a week, up from 26 hours a week in 2008. It also houses a growing number of volunteer-run programs for children and adults, such as open ceramic studios and silk-screen classes hosted by Transformazium, a group devoted to boosting deteriorating steel communities.

"We're looking forward to at least another 120 years," Ms. Vargo said.

The library is not the only beacon of hope in Braddock, according to Mayor John Fetterman.

"We've got plenty to feel good about in Braddock," he said, listing the library, a drop in violence and new housing construction as examples. "We will certainly miss UPMC if they do elect to leave, but at the end of the day we still have a lot of important aspects in town."

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