Doris Foley Library for Historical Research facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Nevada City Free Public Library
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Library in 2010
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 Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 211 N. Pine St., Nevada City, California |
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| Built | 1907 |
| Architect | William H. Weeks |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| MPS | California Carnegie Libraries MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 90001809 |
| Added to NRHP | December 10, 1990 |
The Doris Foley Library for Historical Research is a special library in Nevada City, California. It used to be called the Nevada City Free Public Library. People sometimes call it the Carnegie Library because it was built with money from Andrew Carnegie. This beautiful building was finished in 1907. It is designed in the Romanesque Revival style. Today, it is part of the Nevada County Library System. It is a place where you can find old books and documents for research.
Contents
History of the Library
Nevada City started as a mining town in 1849. It had a reading room as early as 1850. A library association was formed less than ten years later. In 1869, a YMCA also opened a reading room and library.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows had their own library. In 1902, they gave this library to the city. The library then moved to the Corcoran Building. This building was next to the historic Nevada Theatre.
Getting Carnegie Funds
The women of Nevada City really wanted a new library. They asked the library leaders to get money from Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie was a rich businessman who helped build many libraries. In 1904, the library received a grant of $10,000. This money was for a new library building.
Building plans were made, and construction was expected to finish in 1906. The library committee hoped to get an extra $5,000 from Carnegie. They planned for a bigger building. But on October 13, 1905, they learned there would be no more money. This meant they had to change their plans.
William H. Weeks was the architect who designed the building. W.J. Wilkerson from Watsonville was the builder. The women of the city, organized as the Civic Improvement Club, planned the landscaping. The furniture for the library cost $1,000. The library officially opened on October 4, 1907.
Miss Annie James was the librarian in 1919. By 1923, the library had 1,782 books. This number grew to 7,555 books by 1927. Iva Williamson was the librarian at that time.
A Historic Landmark
The library building is very important. It is a historic Carnegie library. In 1990, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This means it is a special place recognized for its history.
Another Carnegie library, the Royce Library, is in the nearby town of Grass Valley. The Foley Library is located at 211 North Pine Street. It is on the corner of Pine and York streets. It sits across from the Nevada County Court House. The city bought the land for $700.
Building Design
The building was designed by William H. Weeks. He also designed several other Carnegie libraries in Northern California. The library is built in the Romanesque Revival style. This style often uses arches and strong, heavy shapes.
The building has one main story and a basement. It has seven rooms. Wilkerson built it using dark gray man-made stone. He also used rough and smooth concrete blocks. These blocks were made right there at the building site. The outside walls were originally dark brick, but they are now painted white. The foundation is made of cement and can be partly seen. A cement staircase leads from the street up to the main entrance.
The entrance has arched doorways. Inside the foyer, there are two arched windows. The smaller one is on the side. The larger front window is made of stained glass. It shows a lamp, which is a symbol for knowledge. There are also many other rectangular windows throughout the building.
The inside of the library still looks much like it did when it was built. It has a cool black and white checkered floor.
Library Collections
The library can hold up to 8,000 books. It uses a modern computer system called Horizon to keep track of everything. The library has many old maps and records. Some of these date back to 1856. There is also a special room for people doing family history research, called the Genealogy Room. Another area holds old Assessor's Books.
In October 2003, the library received a special collection. It is called the Arthur Cecil Todd Cornish Studies Collection. This collection is named after Dr. Todd. He wrote a book about Cornish miners in America.
Friends of the Library
In July 2009, the Foley Library was in danger of closing. This was because of money cuts by the county. But the Friends of the Library stepped in to help. This group provides financial support. Because of them, the library can stay open to the public. It is open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM.
