Oakdale, California…beautiful renovation!

315 W. F St.
Oakdale, CA
$7,000 grant
1916
Visited April 26, 2014

We were driving through Oakdale on a return trip from Tahoe and Sonora when a building on  caught the corners of our left eyes. “Hey, that looks like a Carnegie” so we hooked around and drove by again.  Yes, it was. 

It is now a commercial building with a sign stating The Carnegie Building Stickman Ventures.

The building was not open and ALL of the blinds and shades were tightly closed so I wasn’t able to get any kind of interior photos.

This is what I found on-line in regard to the Oakdale Library:

Oakdale, Stanislaus County
San Joaquin Valley/North area, Central Valley region
opened 1917
Oakdale Library from 1917-1974
currently a private office

grant amount: $7,000
architectural style: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival
architect: Hugh Y. Davis

Oakdale was established when early landowners provided a right of way and land for the Stockton and Visalia Railroad in 1872; it became an excursion destination where visitors from valley towns strolled through the oak groves and along the canals. Today travelers pass through Oakdale as they hurry to Yosemite, Stanislaus River, or the Sierra on highways 108 and 120. The trim stucco old Carnegie library, Mission Revival with Classical elements, is now used for offices. It is located a block from the main intersection at F and Yosemite streets, at the southwest corner of F and Church streets.
The Shakespeare Club began a subscription library in Oakdale in 1901 but efforts of the Women's Club to seek Carnegie funding were rebuffed by the city trustees; some opposed "tainted money" and others thought the library "an extravagance." In 1912 Oakdale became part of the new Stanislaus county library system which applied for grants for several branches. A grant of $7000 was received in 1916, and the women donated the lot. Hugh Y. Davis designed the building. When the library moved to new quarters in 1974, the building was sold and since then has housed a number of professional and commercial enterprises.

Presque Isle, Maine…nothing historic here

Mark and Emily Turner Library

Presque Isle, Maine

39 Second Street

Est. 1906

$10,000 grant

Visit June 13, 2011

If I hadn’t known this was a Carnegie Library I wouldn’t have even stopped. It has been completely renovated leaving literally no trace of a Carnegie, either inside or outside.

Outside at the rear of the library is the shell of three sides of the original it is the rear and two sides, not the front, so no original features survive.

I went inside to see if there was something remaining but it has been taken back to a shell. That section and more of the library were blocked off for the renovation. I was able to see through the windows in an upstairs office.

Sad.

From the library’s web-site:

Library Timeline

Early Store Front Libraries 1874 – 1908

Carnegie Library 1908 – 1966

Expanded Mark & Emily 1967 – present-Turner Memorial Library

A Brief History

As early as 1874, a group of interested persons formed the Presque Isle Library Association. The members referred to themselves as the “Half and Half Club,” a group dedicated to social exchanges, mutual improvement, and the establishment of a public library. The club’s name reflected the fact that its officers would consist “half of ladies and half of gentleman, when it can be arranged.”

The early collection of books was formed from donations rotated among many Presque Isle businesses, with the librarian usually drawn from the business that housed the books. The books were first placed in George Rowell’s drugstore and then moved to the Post Office where Mrs. Luce, the postmaster’s wife, served as librarian. Later Laila Smith’s millinery store held the collection. In 1905 the collection was moved to Holmes Jewelry Store and Mr. Holmes was the librarian.

Presque Isle citizens voted to build a library in 1907, using a $10,000 grant from the Carnegie Fund. Thomas H. Phair purchased a lot from the Dudley heirs for $1,000 on the southeast corner of Second and State Streets, and citizens raised an additional $937.50 for a small adjoining lot. The Presque Isle Library opened on July 1, 1908 with a collection of 2,000 books.

As the city’s population grew, the community needed a larger building and used state funding and a matching donation of $60,000 from Mark Turner, a local businessman and philanthropist. In April of 1967, the newly expanded Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library opened its doors.

Roswell, New Mexico…a sad sight

123 W. 3^rd St.

Opened 1906

$10,000 grant in 1903

Visit August 29, 2017

It was so sad to see this neglected library. It looks so gray and decrepit and has a huge For Sale sign draped across the front.

I could only find one photo on-line of what I believe is the original look and it no longer resembles that look. There are still three windows on each side of the front entrance but the stairs have been changed and they are tiled.  It also has a huge crack on the front side. On one side it appears that three upper level windows have been stuccoed over.

The library was renovated and enlarged in 1952 but replaced in 1978 with a new library. It was changed to office space in 1992. I looked in the glass door and could see that it is configured as that now.

I took my photos and departed very sad for Roswell Carnegie Library!

Auburn, California…now an arts studio

175 Almond Street

Auburn, California

$10,000

1908

Visited  August 23, 2007

My first impression was to note how much it resembled “my” home library in Minot, North Dakota!  Free to All was what Andrew Carnegie believed libraries should be.

Present use of the 109 year old library is Old Library Art Studios.

Since the studio was closed on the day I visited I could only peer through the window and snap this photo of the former library’s present use.

Again, peering through the front door I could see what appears to be the original interior entrance doors.  I’m guessing that they were originally  stained dark and have been painted.