{"nrhp_refnum":"92001756","name":"Willits Carnegie Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"85 E. Commercial St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Willits","county":"Mendocino County","state":"CA","lat":39.41189707500007,"lon":-123.35366066399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1993-01-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story red brick Classical Revival library building at 85 E. Commercial Street in Willits, Mendocino County, California, built and dedicated in 1915 with a Carnegie grant.","why_significant":"It is an outstanding example of Classical Revival architecture and is a well-preserved example of a Carnegie library. It also represents the history of philanthropy in Willits, where a local women's club led the effort to secure the library. It was nominated under the multiple property listing for California's Carnegie Libraries.","narrative":"Willits Carnegie Library is a one-story red brick building at 85 E. Commercial Street, completed and dedicated on October 5, 1915. Its Classical Revival design includes a low hip roof with projecting eaves, a high basement with square windows, tall arched windows, and a deeply recessed white terra cotta entrance with egg and dart molding, acanthus leaves and the words Carnegie Library incised above. Local contractor Dan Deshiell designed and built it. The library grew from a free reading room opened in 1905 and from the persistent efforts of the Women's Improvement Club, which sought Carnegie funding and raised money for the lot. Willits received an $8,000 grant in 1913. The building has changed very little since construction. After a new library opened in 1989, it became a cable TV studio and storage space, while the basement houses a boxing and recreation program. It is listed for its architecture and its place in the history of philanthropy.","period_of_significance":"1915-1942","architect_builder":"Deshiell, Dan","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Briefly unoccupied after a new library opened in May 1989; it now serves as a studio and equipment storage for the city's community access cable TV station, with a sports facility in the basement. The property is described as in excellent condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.83204-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/92001756.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001756/ef6d3003cd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001756/ef6d3003cd-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Ian Poellet","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Willits_Carnegie_Library_-_Willits_California.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Ian Poellet</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:Willits_Carnegie_Library_-_Willits_California.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857680","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56284477"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/mendocino-county/willits-carnegie-library-92001756/"}