Carnegie Free Library (Eureka, California)
Encyclopedia
The Carnegie Free Library in Eureka
, California
was built in Classical Revival Style in 1902. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1986, and currently houses the Morris Graves Museum of Art
.
After receiving a $20,000 Carnegie library
grant in 1901, the library trustees held a competition and selected local architects Knowles Evans and B.C. Tarver of Eureka to design the building from red brick and Mad River
granite
exterior with two story solid redwood
columns ringing a colorful tile mosaic floor in the domed rotunda
. When contractor Ambrose Foster ran over budget, the trustees sought but failed to obtain an additional $10,000 from Carnegie. Changes to the building were few, but the original dome was removed, only a skylight remains.
The Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1986 recognized both as a Carnegie Library and an example of Classical Revival architecture in a nearly-original condition.
In 1996, the City of Eureka and the Humboldt Arts Council
helped save the Library which had been slated for demolition as part of the now-failed Route 101 Eureka bypass Caltrans project. The capital campaign to save the library raised $1.5 million from corporations, foundations and the local community. Restoration began in 1999 and the Library was converted to house a newly created Museum of Art, named after founding patron, northwest school
artist Morris Graves
, which opened on January 1, 2000.
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
was built in Classical Revival Style in 1902. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1986, and currently houses the Morris Graves Museum of Art
Morris Graves Museum of Art
The Morris Graves Museum of Art is located in Eureka, California. It was named after Morris Graves, a painter and founder of the Northwest School of Art in the Pacific Northwest. Prior to his death in 2001, he donated a substantial portion of his personal art collection, including some of his own...
.
History
The first reading rooms and libraries in Eureka date from 1859, but they were not stable. The 1878 California Rogers Act permitted incorporated towns and cities to raise a tax for free reading rooms and public libraries. Eureka was the first city to finance a public library under the Rogers Act and housed its library in rented quarters.After receiving a $20,000 Carnegie library
Carnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
grant in 1901, the library trustees held a competition and selected local architects Knowles Evans and B.C. Tarver of Eureka to design the building from red brick and Mad River
Mad River, California
Mad River is a census-designated place in Trinity County, California. Mad River is located in the in southern part of the county. Mad River sits at an elevation of . The ZIP Code is 95552 and Mad River is inside area code 530...
granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
exterior with two story solid redwood
Redwood
-Trees:Conifers* Family Cupressaceae *** Sequoia sempervirens - coast redwood**** Albino redwood*** Sequoiadendron giganteum - giant sequoia*** Metasequoia glyptostroboides - dawn redwood* Family Pinaceae...
columns ringing a colorful tile mosaic floor in the domed rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
. When contractor Ambrose Foster ran over budget, the trustees sought but failed to obtain an additional $10,000 from Carnegie. Changes to the building were few, but the original dome was removed, only a skylight remains.
The Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1986 recognized both as a Carnegie Library and an example of Classical Revival architecture in a nearly-original condition.
In 1996, the City of Eureka and the Humboldt Arts Council
Humboldt Arts Council
The Humboldt Arts Council is the official Humboldt County, California, USA arts council, and is located in the Morris Graves Museum of Art ....
helped save the Library which had been slated for demolition as part of the now-failed Route 101 Eureka bypass Caltrans project. The capital campaign to save the library raised $1.5 million from corporations, foundations and the local community. Restoration began in 1999 and the Library was converted to house a newly created Museum of Art, named after founding patron, northwest school
Northwest School (art)
The Northwest School was an art movement based in small-town Skagit County, Washington, and was at its peak in the 1930s and 1940s.-The big four:...
artist Morris Graves
Morris Graves
Morris Cole Graves was an American expressionist painter. Along with Guy Anderson, Kenneth Callahan, William Cumming, and Mark Tobey, he founded the Northwest School. Graves was also a mystic.-Early years:...
, which opened on January 1, 2000.