Carnegie Art Center
109 South Palouse Street, Walla Walla, WA  99362
(509)525-4270  cac@hscis.net
www.carnegieart.com
Tuesday - Saturday   11am - 4:30pm

Carnegie Art Center occupies a historic piece of property in Walla Walla.  A plaque on the Carnegie grounds honors this location as a spot of The Great Indian Council by Governor Isaac Ingalls Stevens with Chiefs of the Nez Perce, Yakima, Cayuse and Walla Walla Indian Tribes of Washington, Oregon and Idaho in 1855.  

The property was acquired by the Thompson C. Elliott family, whose house still stands across the street on Poplar, and was donated to the city of Walla Walla for the purpose of building a public library. This was erected in 1904-05 and served as the library for 65 years. Construction was financed with money from the Andrew Carnegie-Mellon Fund, matched by local and state funds.

The building was vacated in May, 1970, when the Walla Walla Public Library moved to new quarters. In 1971, the City announced that the old library building was up for bids. A group of citizens came together with the idea of forming an art center for the community, which up to that time had few public art education resources. Members of the Walla Walla Art Club, Allied Arts Council, Art Unlimited, and other interested groups developed and submitted a plan to the City Council, which was accepted. A long-term lease was granted – at $1 per year – and after a pledge drive which raised $13,000 for renovation and remodeling, “Carnegie Center of the Arts” was opened to the community on October 6, 1971.

In 1975, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. In 1979, a further donation from the Elliott family made possible the installation of an elevator which allows access for all patrons. The Union Jack windows were restored with funding from the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, while the two bronze lamps at the front entrance were recast by Professor Ed Humpherys of Whitman College. The tile roof was restored locally in 1995, and the name was changed to “Carnegie Art Center.”