Construction is under way to turn downtown Olympia's 1914 Carnegie Library into a whiskey lounge, restaurant and members-only club called the Carnegie Whisky Library.

Owner Mike Michael told The Olympian in May that the bar could stock more than 600 whiskeys.

The venue at 620 Franklin St SE will keep the building's original hardwood floors, bookshelves, radiators, fireplaces and even a dumbwaiter between floors, Michael said.

The name drops the "e" from whiskey as a nod to Scotch whisky spelling and to Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who funded the building's construction with a $25,000 grant.

What's inside

The main building measures about 8,000 square feet. Upstairs, a restaurant and bar will be open to all guests.

Michael described a bar expected to stand 24 feet long and 16 feet high, with a sliding ladder for bartenders to reach bottles, echoing the look of an old library.

The restaurant plans to serve steak, seafood, soup and salads. Michael said he also wants the place to feel accessible enough for a hamburger and a Coors Light.

Downstairs, the Carnegie Whisky Club will offer a members-only lounge, a conference room and private lockers.

A section of lockers will push open to reveal what Michael called a "speakeasy," a room for cigars and whiskey.

Michael also plans to park a 1924 Ford Model T on the main floor as a photo attraction.

Historic bones

Architect Wade Stine of Thomas Architecture Studios wrote about the project in an Oct. 27 piece for the Olympia Downtown Alliance.

Stine described helping move books out of the library as a child in 1978, when the collection relocated to a new building nearby.

The Carnegie Library was one of architect Joseph Wohleb's early commissions in Olympia, completed with the firm Blackwell and Baker.

Wohleb went on to shape much of the city's architectural identity during the early decades of Washington statehood, according to the Olympia Downtown Alliance.

The building is listed on local, state and national historic registries, according to Olympia History.

Since the library collection left in 1978, the building has housed restaurants, bookstores and a church.

Construction progress

Workers removed the 1960s addition to the building as of late May. A new two-floor structure of about 3,000 square feet will replace it, including an elevator, Michael told The Olympian.

As of May, Michael said he was aiming for a mid-December opening. Whether that timeline still holds has not been publicly confirmed.