{"nrhp_refnum":"88000923","name":"Gilroy Free Library","other_names":["Carnegie Library Building","Gilroy Historical Museum"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"195 Fifth St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gilroy","county":"Santa Clara County","state":"CA","lat":37.007754168000076,"lon":-121.57172222099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-06-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1-1/2 story Carnegie library building at 195 Fifth Street in Gilroy, Santa Clara County, California, built in 1909-10 in Neo-Classical Revival style to a design by William H. Weeks and built by Hiram (H. J.) Woods.","why_significant":"It is one of 142 Carnegie-funded library buildings in California and served as Gilroy's community library until 1975. It is a locally notable example of monumental Neo-Classical Revival civic architecture by the prolific architect William H. Weeks. The form says its value lies not in originality but in being a fine small-scale community building by Weeks.","narrative":"Built in 1909-10 with a Carnegie grant, this 1-1/2 story library at 195 Fifth Street in Gilroy was the town's first free public library. William H. Weeks designed it in Neo-Classical Revival style, and Hiram Woods of Watsonville built it. The reinforced concrete structure is faced with Monterey buff pressed brick and entered through a monumental staircase and a pedimented portico with redwood Tuscan columns. Inside, an octagonal rotunda with a skylight opens to three main rooms. The site was a former tennis court donated by Caroline Hoxett after subscription funds fell short. The library occupied the main floor until 1975, and the Gilroy Historical Museum, founded in 1963, has used the whole building since 1976. It was one of 142 Carnegie library buildings in California and the first of five Weeks libraries in this style. Alterations are minor and mostly interior, and the building remains a recognized local landmark.","period_of_significance":"1909-1938","architect_builder":"H. J. Woods/William H. Weeks","architectural_style":"Classical Revival / Neo-Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as the Gilroy Historical Museum, owned by the City of Gilroy; condition rated fair with integrity generally high and alterations mostly interior.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.301521-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/88000923.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000923/0e3737bcdb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000923/0e3737bcdb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Eugene Zelenko","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USA-Gilroy-Carnegie_Library-1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Eugene Zelenko</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USA-Gilroy-Carnegie_Library-1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861681","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilroy_Free_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15221691"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-clara-county/gilroy-free-library-88000923/"}