Keys to Kenosha will be taking place on Saturday November, 7 from 10 AM - 4 PM. Kenosha Public Library is excited to feature three sites including Simmons Library
Simmons Library
Kenosha Public Library has stood at the intellectual, historical, heart of the city for over a century. Located at 711 59th Place, right on Library Park, the Simmons building has welcomed readers, dreamers and history buffs since the early 1900s. During Keys to Kenosha, visitors will get a rare guided look at this Kenosha landmark, both its public spaces and its hidden corners, from the gold-leafed rotunda to a "door to nowhere."
A Celebration of Life and Architecture
In 1889, Kenosha businessman Zalmon Simmons lost his eldest son and heir, 38-year-old Gilbert, to pneumonia. Searching for a way to honor his son's memory, Simmons found his answer at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, where architect Daniel Burnham's gleaming neoclassical buildings left him awestruck. Simmons commissioned Burnham on the spot, and the result was dedicated in 1900 before an estimated 25,000 attendees.
The building is a masterclass in neo-classical design: 18-inch thick limestone blocks from Indiana, walls subtly sloped to create an optical illusion of grandeur, ionic columns, and a copper-plated dome crowned with an ocular window that bathes the rotunda's stained glass in natural light. Inside, a carved marble laurel wreath gilded in gold leaf, egg and dart moldings, and ionic marble columns echo the balance and symmetry Burnham brought from the World's Fair.
A Living Monument to Shared Knowledge
More than a century later, Simmons still stands as a monument to shared knowledge and open access, a symbol that ideas and knowledge are a "fundamental right for every Kenoshan," regardless of background.
Your Keys to Kenosha Experience
During Keys to Kenosha, guided tours will take visitors outside to explore Library Park's monuments before heading inside for a walk through the rotunda, the WWI memorial, and rarely seen spaces downstairs, including the old coal chute and a records room full of century-old artifacts. Whether you're drawn in by architecture, history or the craftsmanship of a previous era, Simmons Library offers a tour unlike any other on the list.
Unlock the Library
Come see why this Burnham-designed landmark has anchored Kenosha's civic life for 126 years, and discover the stories hiding behind its marble walls.
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