{"nrhp_refnum":"90001813","name":"East San Jose Carnegie Library","other_names":["East San Jose Branch of the San Jose Public Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1102 E. Santa Clara St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Jose","county":"Santa Clara County","state":"CA","lat":37.34689744000008,"lon":-121.86845183499997,"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 one-story Classical Revival public library on a raised basement at 1102 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose, built in 1907 and opened in January 1908, with a 1981 rear addition.","why_significant":"It is the oldest public library still in service in Santa Clara County and the oldest remaining Carnegie library there. It is also one of the few physical reminders of the short-lived City of East San Jose (1906-1911). It is a modest example of Classical Revival design by the Lenzen architects.","narrative":"This small Classical Revival library at 1102 E. Santa Clara Street in San Jose was built in 1907 with a $7,000 Carnegie grant and opened in January 1908. Measuring 36 by 46 feet, it has a pedimented central portico with paired Doric columns, wood trim, and stucco over metal lathing that the architects, Jacob and Theodore Lenzen, promoted as fire resistant. It served the independent City of East San Jose, which existed only from 1906 to 1911 and merged with San Jose by a 10-to-1 vote. The library is the oldest public library in service in Santa Clara County and the oldest surviving Carnegie library there. In the 1970s the city considered replacing it, but neighborhood groups saved it. A rear wing and connecting lobby were added in 1981, set back so the original building remains prominent. The library still serves a diverse neighborhood and keeps several foreign-language collections.","period_of_significance":"1907-1921","architect_builder":"Lenzen, Jacob; Lenzen, Theodore","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a public library; the building was renovated and expanded with a new wing in 1981.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.114422-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/90001813.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001813/e8a3953126-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001813/e8a3953126-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"LPS.1","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:East_San_Jose_Carnegie_Library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">LPS.1</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:East_San_Jose_Carnegie_Library.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857798","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_San_Jos%C3%A9_Carnegie_Branch_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5329325"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-clara-county/east-san-jose-carnegie-library-90001813/"}