{"nrhp_refnum":"05001085","name":"Calexico Carnegie Library","other_names":["Calexico Public Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"420 Heber Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Calexico","county":"Imperial County","state":"CA","lat":32.66962644600005,"lon":-115.493400813,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-09-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Spanish Colonial Revival Carnegie library on a raised basement at 420 Heber Avenue, Calexico, Imperial County, California, built in 1918 to designs by Los Angeles architects Allison & Allison.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it exemplifies community libraries of the later Carnegie program, when grants were smaller and tied to population. It also shows the range of Carnegie library design, here in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. It is part of the California Carnegie Libraries multiple property listing and anchors Calexico's planned \"intellectual park.\"","narrative":"Calexico's Carnegie Library, at 420 Heber Avenue, was built in 1918 from designs by the Los Angeles firm Allison & Allison. The city had requested $25,000 from the Carnegie program but was limited to $10,000, so the Spanish Colonial Revival design was simplified. The building measures 85 by 36 feet, with one story over a raised basement, a tile hip roof, stucco walls and a recessed central entrance. Concrete buttresses and gunite were added after the 1927 earthquake, and the building has survived later quakes with little damage. Inside, the maple floors, trim and original book shelves remain. It served as the public library until a larger one opened in 1986, then was used for storage. It is listed for its association with education and the later phase of the Carnegie library program. It also anchors an \"intellectual park\" that includes the old high school and historic city hall. The city has endorsed restoring it as a community technology library and historical center.","period_of_significance":"1918-1955","architect_builder":"Allison & Allison","architectural_style":"Late 19th/20th Century Revivals: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Listed as vacant/not in use; used for storage after the new library opened in 1986. The structure is described as generally sound, and the city has endorsed a plan to restore it.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.688747-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/05001085.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001085/4a404a73d9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001085/4a404a73d9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Cbl62","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carnegie_Library,_Calexico,_California.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Cbl62</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carnegie_Library,_Calexico,_California.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857378","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calexico_Carnegie_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15206848"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/imperial-county/calexico-carnegie-library-05001085/"}