List of Carnegie libraries in California facts for kids

Imagine a time when books were a luxury, and not everyone had access to a library. That's where Andrew Carnegie came in! He was a very rich businessman who believed in the power of education. He decided to use his money to build libraries all over the world, including many in California.

Between 1899 and 1917, Carnegie gave money for 142 public libraries in California. He also helped build two libraries for colleges. In total, he gave over $2.7 million for public libraries and $60,000 for college libraries. These buildings became important places for communities to learn and grow.

What Happened to These Libraries?

Many of these old Carnegie libraries are still around today, but they're not all used as libraries anymore. Some have become museums, community centers, or even offices. Sadly, some were torn down over the years to make way for new buildings.

Here's a quick guide to what the colors in the list below mean:

• Green: The building is still a library!
• Yellow: The building is still standing, but it's used for something else now.
• Pink: The building is no longer standing; it was torn down.
• Light Blue: The building is a special historical place listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Lavender: The building is part of a historic area that's listed on the National Register.

Carnegie Public Libraries in California

Here's a list of some of the public libraries Carnegie helped build in California. You'll see where they were, how much money they received, and what happened to them.

	Library Name	City	Picture	Year Given Money	Money Amount	What Happened to It
1	Alameda	Alameda	Alameda Free Library	1899	$35,000	Opened in 1903, this beautiful building was a library until 1998. It's been empty since then.
2	Alturas	Alturas	Alturas Carnegie Library	1908	$10,000	This building opened in 1918 and was a library until 1947. Now, it holds law offices.
3	Anaheim	Anaheim	Anaheim Carnegie Library	1907	$10,000	Opened in 1909, it was a library until 1963. Since 1987, it has been the Anaheim Museum.
4	Antioch	Antioch		1915	$2,500	This building was Antioch's library from 1916 to 1967. It is now a church.
5	Auburn	Auburn	Auburn Public Library	1907	$10,000	From 1909 to 1968, this was the Auburn library. It is now an arts center.
6	Azusa	Azusa		1908	$10,000	This building was the library from 1910 to 1959. It was torn down in 1959 for a new City Hall.
7	Bayliss District	Bayliss	Bayliss Carnegie Library	1916	$4,000	Opened in 1917, this library still serves the Bayliss area today. It's one of the most rural Carnegie libraries still in use.
8	Beaumont	Beaumont	Beaumont Library	1913	$10,000	Opened in 1914, this building has always been a library for Beaumont. It had additions in 1966 and 1981.
9	Berkeley	Berkeley		1903	$40,000	This library served Berkeley from 1905 to 1929. It was the first Carnegie library in California to be torn down.
10	Biggs	Biggs	Biggs Library	1906	$5,000	This building continues to serve as the Biggs Library.
11	Calexico	Calexico	Calexico Carnegie Library	1915	$10,000	After being empty for some years, it was restored and reopened as a computer lab within the Calexico Public Library system.
12	Chico	Chico	Chico Museum	1904	$10,000	This building now houses the Chico Museum.
13	Chula Vista	Chula Vista		1916	$10,000	This library was left empty in 1955 and torn down in 1960.
14	Clovis	Clovis		1914	$7,000	This building is now home to the Clovis Chamber of Commerce.
15	Coalinga	Coalinga		1912	$20,000	This library was torn down in 1955. A new Coalinga Library is now on the same spot.
16	Colton	Colton	Colton Area Museum	1906	$10,000	This building is now the Colton Museum. It was carefully restored in 1982.
17	Colusa	Colusa	Colusa Police Department	1905	$10,000	This building now houses the Colusa Police Department.
18	Concord	Concord		1915	$2,500	This library was torn down in 1959.
19	Corning	Corning		1913	$10,000	This building is no longer a library.
20	Corona	Corona		1905	$11,500	This library was torn down in 1978, just one year after it was listed as a historic place.
21	Covina	Covina		1905	$9,000	This library was torn down in 1962.
22	Dinuba	Dinuba		1915	$8,000	This library was torn down in 1975.
23	Dixon	Dixon	Dixon Carnegie Library	1911	$10,000	This building is now the Dixon Unified School District Library. It's a historically important building.
24	Eagle Rock	Eagle Rock	Former Eagle Rock Branch Library	1914	$7,500	This building is now the Center for the Arts Eagle Rock. It became a branch library in 1923.
25	East San Diego	East San Diego		1915	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1964.
26	El Centro	El Centro		1909	$10,000	This library was badly damaged by an earthquake in the 1920s. It was torn down in 2016 after another earthquake in 2010.
27	Escondido	Escondido		1908	$7,500	This library was torn down in 1956. The new Escondido Public Library is on the same spot.
28	Eureka	Eureka	Morris Graves Museum of Art	1901	$20,000	This building was restored and is now The Morris Graves Museum of Art.
29	Exeter	Exeter	Exeter Public Library	1914	$5,000	This building is now the Exeter community center.
30	Ferndale	Ferndale	Ferndale Public Library	1908	$8,000	This is the only Carnegie library in northwestern California that is still used as a library.
31	Fresno	Fresno	Fresno Carnegie Library	1901	$30,000	This library was torn down in 1959. It was one of the earliest and most expensive Carnegie libraries.
32	Fullerton	Fullerton		1905	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1942. Another library was built on the site, which now houses the Fullerton Museum Center.
33	Gilroy	Gilroy	Gilroy Carnegie Library	1906	$10,000	This building, which looks almost the same as it did, is now the Gilroy Historical Museum.
34	Glendale	Glendale		1911	$12,500	This library was torn down in 1977 after a new, larger Glendale Public Library opened nearby.
35	Grass Valley	Grass Valley	Grass Valley Public Library	1915	$15,000	This library has a distinctive red brick front with white columns.
36	Gridley	Gridley		1913	$7,000	This building is now a private office.
37	Hanford	Hanford	Hanford Carnegie Museum	1903	$12,500	This building has been the Hanford Carnegie Museum since 1974.
38	Hayward	Hayward		1906	$11,750	This library was torn down in 1949.
39	Healdsburg	Healdsburg	Healdsburg Carnegie Library	1909	$10,000	A new library replaced it in 1988. This building now serves as the Healdsburg History Museum.
40	Hemet	Hemet		1910	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1969. The new Hemet Public Library was built on the site in 1971.
41	Hollister	Hollister	Hollister City Hall	1910	$10,000	This building is now the Hollister City Hall.
42	Hollywood	Hollywood		1906	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1958. It became a branch library in 1910.
43	Huntington Beach	Huntington Beach		1913	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1951. The new Huntington Beach Public Library was built on the site.
44	Imperial	Imperial		1909	$10,000	This library was badly damaged by the 1940 El Centro earthquake and later torn down.
45	Inglewood	Inglewood	Inglewood Public Library, circa 1950	1916	$10,000	This library was damaged in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. It was torn down in 1967 for a new library.
46	Lakeport	Lakeport	Lakeport Carnegie Library	1914	$8,000	This building now houses scientists from the University of California, Davis, for Clear Lake research.
47	Lincoln	Lincoln	Lincoln Public Library	1907	$6,000	This building is still the Lincoln Public Library.
48	Livermore	Livermore	Livermore Carnegie Library	1909	$10,000	This building is now the Livermore Heritage Guild History Center museum. It's known for its yellow brick.
49	Lodi	Lodi	Carnegie building in Lodi	1907	$9,000	This building is now called the "Carnegie Forum and City Council Chambers."
50	Lompoc	Lompoc	Lompoc Museum	1909	$10,000	This building is now the Lompoc Museum, which focuses on history and archaeology.
51	Long Beach	Long Beach		1905	$30,000	This library was damaged by fire in 1972 and torn down in 1973 for a new Long Beach Public Library.
52	Los Angeles Arroyo Seco	Los Angeles		1911	$210,000	This library was torn down in 1959.
53	Los Angeles Boyle Heights	Los Angeles		1911	—	This library was torn down in 1974.
54	Los Angeles Cahuenga Branch	Los Angeles	Los Angeles Cahuenga Branch Library	1911	—	This building is still a branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.
55	Los Angeles Lincoln Heights	Los Angeles	Los Angeles Lincoln Heights Library	1911	—	This building is still a branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.
56	Los Angeles Vermont Square	Los Angeles	Los Angeles Vermont Square Library	1911	—	This building is still a branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.
57	Los Angeles Vernon	Los Angeles		1911	—	This library was torn down in 1974. It had a special open-air reading room.
58	Los Gatos	Los Gatos		1901	$10,400	This library was torn down in 1954.
59	Mill Valley	Mill Valley		1910	$10,000	This building is now a private home.
60	Monrovia	Monrovia		1905	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1956.
61	Monterey	Monterey	Monterey Institute of International Studies	1907	$10,000	This building now holds offices for the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
62	National City	National City		1909	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1954. The National City Civic Center is now on its site.
63	Nevada City	Nevada City	Nevada City Free Public Library	1904	$10,000	This building is now the Doris Foley Library for Historical Research. It's part of a historic downtown area.
64	Newman	Newman		1914	$8,000	This building is now the Newman Museum, which started in the library's basement in 1941.
65	Oakdale	Oakdale		1916	$7,000	This building housed the Oakdale Library from 1917 to 1976. It is now private offices.
66	Oakland Main	Oakland	African American Museum and Library at Oakland	1899	$190,000	This was the Oakland Main Library from 1902 to 1951. It now houses the African American Museum and Library at Oakland.
67	Oakland Golden Gate	Oakland	Oakland Golden Gate Branch Library	1899	—	This building is still a branch of the Oakland Public Library.
68	Oakland Melrose	Oakland	Oakland Melrose Branch Library	1899	—	This building is still a branch of the Oakland Public Library.
69	Oakland Miller	Oakland	Oakland Miller Branch Library	1899	—	This building was a library until the 1990s. It was destroyed by fire in 2018.
70	Oakland Temescal	Oakland	Oakland Temescal Branch Library	1899	—	This building is still the Temescal Branch Library.
71	Ontario	Ontario		1905	$12,000	This library was declared unsafe and torn down in 1959.
72	Orange	Orange		1907	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1961. The site was used for a larger library, which has also been torn down.
73	Orland	Orland		1913	$8,000	This building is now a community center.
74	Orosi	Orosi	Orosi Branch Library	1917	$3,000	This was the last Carnegie library completed in California. It is now the Orosi/Cutler Branch Library.
75	Oroville	Oroville	Oroville Law Library	1911	$10,000	This building is now the Butte County Public Law Library.
76	Oxnard	Oxnard	Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard	1906	$12,000	This building is now the Carnegie Art Museum. It was the first California Carnegie library to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
77	Pacific Grove	Pacific Grove	Pacific Grove Library	1906	$10,000	This building officially opened in 1908 and still serves as the Pacific Grove Carnegie Library.
78	Palo Alto	Palo Alto		1903	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1967 to make room for a new city hall.
79	Paso Robles	Paso Robles	Paso Robles Carnegie Library	1906	$10,000	Since 1998, this building has housed the El Paso de Robles Area Historical Society Museum.
80	Patterson	Patterson	Patterson Branch Library	1917	$3,000	This building is no longer a library.
81	Petaluma	Petaluma	Free Public Library of Petaluma	1903	$12,500	This building now houses the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum.
82	Pomona	Pomona		1902	$25,000	This library opened in 1903 and was expanded twice. It closed and was torn down in 1965.
83	Porterville	Porterville		1907	$10,000	This library was declared unsafe and torn down in 1949.
84	Redding	Redding		1903	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1965.
85	Redwood City	Redwood City		1904	$16,000	This library was torn down around 1950.
86	Richmond	Richmond	Richmond Carnegie Library	1909	$17,500	This building is now the Richmond Museum.
87	Riverbank	Riverbank	Riverbank Carnegie Library	1917	$3,000	This building is now the Riverbank Historic Museum.
88	Riverside	Riverside	Riverside Public Library, circa 1910	1901	$52,500	This library was torn down in 1964. The current Riverside Public Library is next to its former site.
89	Roseville	Roseville	Carnegie Library (Roseville, California)	1911	$10,000	This building is now a museum.
90	Sacramento	Sacramento	Sacramento City Library	1914	$100,000	This building is part of the Central branch of the Sacramento Public Library system.
91	Salinas	Salinas		1907	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1961.
92	San Anselmo	San Anselmo		1914	$10,000	Built in 1915, San Anselmo's Carnegie library is still in use and connected to the Town Hall.
93	San Bernardino	San Bernardino		1902	$27,600	This library was torn down in 1958. A new library was built on its site in 1960.
94	San Diego	San Diego	San Diego Carnegie Library, 1905	1899	$60,000	This library was torn down in 1952. San Diego received California's first Carnegie grant.
95	San Francisco Main	San Francisco	San Francisco Public Library, 1920	1901	$375,000	Open from 1917 to 1995, this building now houses the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
96	San Francisco Chinatown	San Francisco	San Francisco Public Library Chinatown Branch	1901	—	This library, originally the North Beach branch, opened in 1921 and is still a library.
97	San Francisco Golden Gate Valley	San Francisco	San Francisco Golden Gate Valley Branch	1901	—	This library opened in 1918 and is still a library.
98	San Francisco Mission	San Francisco	San Francisco Mission Library	1901	—	This library opened in 1915 and is still a library.
99	San Francisco Noe Valley	San Francisco	San Francisco Noe Valley Library	1901	—	This library opened in 1916 and is still a library.
100	San Francisco Presidio	San Francisco	San Francisco Presidio Branch	1901	—	Opened in 1921, this branch also houses the city's only Library for the Blind.
101	San Francisco Richmond	San Francisco	San Francisco Richmond Branch	1901	—	This was the first Carnegie branch to open in San Francisco, in 1914, and is still a library.
102	San Francisco Sunset	San Francisco	San Francisco Sunset Branch	1901	—	This library opened in 1918 and is still a library.
103	San Jose Main	San Jose	San Jose Main Carnegie Library	1901	$57,000	This library was torn down in 1960.
104	San Jose East	San Jose	East San Jose Carnegie Library	1901	—	This building is still a branch of the San Jose Public Library.
105	San Leandro	San Leandro		1907	$12,000	This library was torn down in 1959.
106	San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo Historical Museum	1903	$10,000	This building is now the San Luis Obispo County History Center and Museum.
107	San Mateo	San Mateo		1905	$12,500	This library was torn down around 1968.
108	San Pedro	San Pedro		1905	$10,375	This library was torn down in 1966.
109	San Rafael	San Rafael		1904	$25,000	This building is now a wing of the current San Rafael Public Library.
110	Sanger	Sanger		1914	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1969.
111	Santa Ana	Santa Ana		1902	$15,000	This library was torn down in 1960.
112	Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara Public Library	1914	$50,000	This building is still the Santa Barbara Public Library.
113	Santa Cruz Main	Santa Cruz	Santa Cruz Library	1902	$29,000	This library was visited by Andrew Carnegie himself in 1910. It was torn down in 1966.
114	Santa Cruz East Cliff	Santa Cruz	Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History	1902	—	This building is now the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.
115	Santa Cruz Eastside	Santa Cruz		1902	—	This library was torn down in 1968.
116	Santa Cruz Garfield Park	Santa Cruz	Santa Cruz Garfield Park Library	1902	—	This building is still a Santa Cruz Library branch.
117	Santa Maria	Santa Maria	Santa Maria Public Library - Carnegie Library	1908	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1969.
118	Santa Monica Main	Santa Monica	Santa Monica Public Library, 1904	1903	$25,000	This library was torn down in 1974.
119	Santa Monica Ocean Park	Santa Monica	Ocean Park Public Library	1903	—	This building is still an active branch of the Santa Monica Public Library.
120	Santa Rosa	Santa Rosa		1902	$26,900	This library was declared unsafe in 1960 and torn down in 1964.
121	Sebastopol	Sebastopol		1911	$7,500	This library was torn down in 1976. Another library was built on the same site.
122	Selma	Selma		1905	$6,000	This library was torn down in 1952.
123	Sonoma	Sonoma		1911	$6,000	This building is now the Sonoma Visitor Center.
124	South Pasadena	South Pasadena	South Pasadena Public Library	1906, 1916	$18,600, $6,600	This building is still the South Pasadena Public Library. Andrew Carnegie visited it in 1910.
125	South San Francisco	South San Francisco	South San Francisco Grand Avenue Library	1914	$10,000	This building is the Grand Avenue Branch of the South San Francisco Public Library.
126	St. Helena	St. Helena	St. Helena Public Library	1906	$8,362	This was a public library from 1908 to 1978. It is now a community center.
127	Tulare	Tulare		1904	$10,000	This library was torn down around 1970.
128	Turlock	Turlock	Turlock Carnegie Library	1915	$9,200	The original building was damaged by fire, but its walls are still standing. It's being restored as the Carnegie Arts Center.
129	Ukiah City	Ukiah City		1911	$8,000	This building is no longer a library.
130	Upland	Upland		1911	$10,000	This building is now a community center.
131	Vacaville	Vacaville		1905	$12,500	This building is no longer a library.
132	Vallejo	Vallejo		1902	$20,000	This library was torn down in 1969.
133	Visalia	Visalia		1903	$10,000	This library was torn down in 1936. It was replaced by a building now used as the children's library.
134	Walnut Creek	Walnut Creek		1915	$2,500	This library was torn down in 1961.
135	Watsonville	Watsonville		1903	$12,000	This library was torn down in 1975.
136	Watts	Watts		1913	$10,000	This library was replaced by a newer library on a different site in 1960.
137	Whittier	Whittier		1904	$12,500	This library was torn down in 1959.
138	Willits	Willits	Willits Carnegie Library	1913	$8,000	This building is now Willits Community Television.
139	Willows	Willows		1910	$10,000	This building is now the Willows Museum.
140	Woodland	Woodland	Woodland Public Library	1903	$22,000	This building housed both city and county libraries from 1915 to 1979. It is still a library.
141	Yolo	Yolo	Yolo Branch Library	1917	$3,000	This building is still the Yolo Branch Library.
142	Yreka	Yreka	Yreka Carnegie Library	1913	$8,000	This building is currently empty. It might be turned into public and office spaces in the future.

Carnegie Libraries at Colleges

Andrew Carnegie also helped build libraries for two colleges in California. These were a bit different from the public libraries.

	College Name	City	Picture	Year Given Money	Money Amount	What Happened to It
1	Mills College Margaret Carnegie Library Building	Oakland	Mills College Margaret Carnegie Library Building	1905	$20,000	This building was a college library from 1906 to 1989. It now holds administrative offices and a reading room. It was designed by the famous architect Julia Morgan.
2	Claremont/Pomona College	Claremont	Pomona College Carnegie Library	1905	$40,000	This building has housed Pomona College offices and classrooms since 1953. Carnegie gave money for this library if the college could raise an equal amount to keep it running.