Hidden Places: Keeler Branch Library

Partially obscured by the remnants of an old sign, this converted church reveals it's former use in the carved inscription over the front door.

This structure caught my eye a couple weeks ago while trying out one of Hammond's local favorites (El Taco Real) across the street. While the inscription above the door gives a succinct view into the building's past, until just a few years ago, it may have been long covered by another sign. According to tax records, it was built in 1924. I have found references as early as 1934 and as late as 1967 in the Hammond Times that this was the Keeler Branch of the Hammond Public Library, although the Keeler name appears nowhere on the building, so it may have been a designation made after construction. A December 1922 edition of The Library Journal, suggests that there was a J. F. Keeler with a prominent position in the Hammond library system of the time after which this branch was most likely named.

The former library has served at a church since at least 1989, when it was purchased by the Calvary Temple. Since 2014 is has served as the home of the Greater Works Christian Center. The building's windows have since been infilled with brick and glass block, but much of the original exterior remains. 

View of 4807 Oak Avenue from the northwest

Detail view of the limestone pediment over the front door with restrained Neoclassical carvings