{"nrhp_refnum":"90001809","name":"Nevada City Free Public Library","other_names":["Nevada City Library","Carnegie Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"211 N. Pine St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Nevada City","county":"Nevada County","state":"CA","lat":39.26424973700006,"lon":-121.017386682,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-12-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Carnegie-funded public library building at 211 N. Pine Street, Nevada City, California, completed in 1907 to designs by William H. Weeks. It is built of man-made brick and concrete blocks on a steeply sloping corner lot.","why_significant":"It is the last of six Romanesque Carnegie libraries built in California and one of only two remaining Romanesque buildings by Carnegie architect William H. Weeks. It also reflects the town's library history and the role of local women in securing Carnegie funding. The building has kept its integrity and still serves as a library.","narrative":"Perched on a steep corner lot across from the Nevada County Court House, this Carnegie library opened in 1907 and is built of dark gray man-made brick and rough and smooth concrete blocks made on site. Architect William H. Weeks of Watsonville designed it in the Romanesque style, with a steep hipped roof, projecting gables, a small entrance vestibule and stained glass transoms. It is the last of six Romanesque Carnegie libraries built in California. Nevada City, a gold rush mining camp founded in 1849, had maintained libraries since 1850 before Carnegie granted $10,000 in 1904. Construction was delayed by the 1906 earthquake and a harsh winter. Local women had pushed for the grant, and the library's opening led to the founding of a Civic Improvement Club. Apart from a replaced roof, the building has changed little, and much of its interior woodwork, columns and furniture is original. It continues to serve as a library.","period_of_significance":"1906-1921","architect_builder":"Weeks, William H.","architectural_style":"Romanesque","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a library and described as well cared for and in very good condition; plans called for a new library, with this building becoming a local history branch and repository.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.791747-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/90001809.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001809/2f0e353c74-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001809/2f0e353c74-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"bormang2","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nevada_City_Free_Public_Library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">bormang2</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nevada_City_Free_Public_Library.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"85002520","name":"Nevada City Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/nevada-city-downtown-historic-district-85002520/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857706","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Foley_Library_for_Historical_Research","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5297931"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/nevada-county/nevada-city-free-public-library-90001809/"}