Named for Charles Sumner, a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and an outspoken abolitionist, Sumner Library opened in 1915. One of the first four Carnegie-funded libraries built in the city of Minneapolis, Sumner Library has received historic designation from the City of Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A renovation in 2004-2005 reclaimed many historical building features. Prior to 1915, the library was housed in a rented room at 901 6th Avenue North.