Our current library building is a lot older than you may realize! Multiple companies have occupied the "Geyer Garage" over the last hundred years.
John R. Hermes constructed this building in 1914 as a three-story garage. Hermes was an owner of the Hermes-Groves Dairy Company (Image 10). The dairy company owned and operated out of several buildings around the city; they also had a building a few blocks away from campus on Diamond Street. According to articles in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Hermes-Groves Dairy company baseball team used to walk to Duquesne's campus and practice on the University's field. This is one example that showcases how Duquesne was integrated into the neighborhood.
In the 1940s, C. F. Mugele purchased the building from Hermes family. He was the local Pepsi Cola distributer, likely using this building as one of his bottling plants. Today, you can still find his name on a building along 5th avenue where he also bottled Pepsi products.
The Geyer Printing company eventually purchased the building in 1961. Geyer Printing was founded in 1909 on the North Side by the Geyer Family. The company only used this building for a few years, leaving in 1964. They continue to operate in the city today, creating materials for Eat N' Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and PNC Bank.
Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment Agency eventually took over the "Geyer Garage." It was being used as parking garage when Duquesne University decided to acquire it and turn it into a library (Image 11).
Image 10: This G.M. Hopkins map from 1929 shows the Hermes-Groves Dairy Company as the owner of this building. To view the entire map, click here.
Image 11: This is an aerial image looking southeast with an arrow pointing to the Geyer Garage.
