{"nrhp_refnum":"93000668","name":"Arlington Branch Library and Fire Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"9556 Magnolia Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Riverside","county":"Riverside County","state":"CA","lat":33.91964232000004,"lon":-117.44745354099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1993-07-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A combined branch library and fire hall at 9556 Magnolia Avenue in the Arlington area of Riverside, California, built in 1908-09 with a small auxiliary stable building behind it. Seeley L. Pillar designed the original building.","why_significant":"It is the last remaining Classical Revival public building in Riverside and the oldest library building in Riverside County, and it was designed and later remodeled by two prominent regional architects. It also represents an early effort to bring equitable civic services to the isolated Arlington community.","narrative":"Built in 1908-09, this Classical Revival building at 9556 Magnolia Avenue in Riverside, California, combined a branch library with a fire hall for the Arlington suburb. A small stable and storage building stands behind it. The brick structure is covered in cement and has a pedimented porch with two Ionic columns and arched windows with green opalescent glass. Seeley L. Pillar designed it, and G. Stanley Wilson reinforced and remodeled it in 1927-28. It is the last Classical Revival public building left in Riverside and the oldest library building in Riverside County. Arlington lay across a steep canyon from downtown, and residents had lobbied for their own civic services. The city built the joint building after Carnegie funds for the downtown library expansion freed money for the project. The library has operated since 1909. The fire hall closed in 1938, and its space later served as offices, a meeting room and living quarters before becoming part of the library. Riverside designated it a city landmark in 1980.","period_of_significance":"1908-1943","architect_builder":"Pillar, Seeley; Wilson, G.S.","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The library has served its community continuously since June 1909. The former fire hall was integrated into the library in 1967-68. The auxiliary building is used for library storage and has deteriorated somewhat, with its windows and rear entrance boarded up.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.976-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/93000668.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93000668/8766fc2da7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93000668/8766fc2da7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Mliedel","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Riverside_Library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Mliedel</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:Riverside_Library.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860435","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_Branch_Library_and_Fire_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60748660"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/riverside-county/arlington-branch-library-and-fire-hall-93000668/"}