{"nrhp_refnum":"82002152","name":"Alameda Free Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2264 Santa Clara Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Alameda","county":"Alameda County","state":"CA","lat":37.76576857900005,"lon":-122.24357471899998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-06-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story buff brick and sandstone library building at 2264 Santa Clara Avenue in Alameda, California, built in 1902-03 with a Carnegie grant. It was designed by Curtis & Willcox and built by C. H. Foster & Son.","why_significant":"It is significant as Alameda's first library building and is still used as the city's main library. It was funded by a $35,000 Andrew Carnegie grant, an unusually large amount. The nomination also praises its brick and stone craftsmanship, its Neoclassical imagery, and the quality of its interior and exterior design.","narrative":"Alameda's main library occupies the southwest corner of Santa Clara Avenue and Oak Street, across from City Hall. Completed in 1903, it is a two-story rectangular building of buff pressed brick above a quarry-faced sandstone basement, with a portico of round molded brick Corinthian columns that were said to be the first brick columns built in California. Inside, a barrel-vaulted main room with a skylight is flanked by galleries, and five stained glass windows show printers' trademarks. The building was paid for by a $35,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie after local fundraising failed. San Francisco architects William H. Willcox and John M. Curtis won a design competition, and Alameda builder C. H. Foster & Son constructed it. It was the city's first dedicated library building and still serves as its main library. Alterations have been modest: stuccoed parapets in 1956, replaced doors and some windows, and interior changes. The adjacent bungalow used as a children's library is excluded from the nominated property.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"C. H. Foster & Son/Curtis & Willcox","architectural_style":"Eclectic, with Neoclassical, Renaissance, and Baroque elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as the city's main library; described as in excellent condition with only minor alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.957348-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/82002152.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002152/76ac8f6d5f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002152/76ac8f6d5f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alameda_Free_Library_(Alameda,_CA).JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</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:Alameda_Free_Library_(Alameda,_CA).JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858135","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_Free_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14681534"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/alameda-county/alameda-free-library-82002152/"}