{"nrhp_refnum":"95000357","name":"San Luis Obispo Carnegie Library","other_names":["San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"696 Monterey St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Luis Obispo","county":"San Luis Obispo County","state":"CA","lat":35.28016692700004,"lon":-120.66499804699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-03-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Richardsonian Romanesque Carnegie library building at 696 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, California, opened in October 1905 and designed by architect William H. Weeks. It now serves as the San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum.","why_significant":"It is significant under Criterion A in Social History for its link to library development in California, shown by the community effort in San Luis Obispo from 1857 to 1905. Under Criterion C it is a notable example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, one of three Romanesque libraries by Weeks, of which two remain. The interior and exterior remain largely original.","narrative":"Built in 1905 at 696 Monterey Street in San Luis Obispo, this Carnegie-funded library combines local red brick with Bishop's Peak granite and Los Berros sandstone. Architect William H. Weeks gave it a tall slate hipped roof, two gable wings, carved gable ornament and a columned entry portico. Inside, original woodwork, plaster ceilings, fireplaces and the checkout desk survive. The library grew from a community campaign that began in 1892 with a subscription library, passed to the city in 1897, and won a $10,000 Carnegie gift in 1903. It served as the town library until 1955 and has housed the county museum since 1956. It was listed for its role in California library development and as a strong example of Richardsonian Romanesque design, one of three such libraries by Weeks. Minor changes include 1967 seismic strengthening of the portico and a 1983 elevator enclosure.","period_of_significance":"1905-1945","architect_builder":"Weeks, William H. (architect); Maino, Theo (builder)","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Used as the county historical museum since 1956; exterior and interior described as well maintained and largely original.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.945686-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/95000357.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000357/c4b9a58568-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000357/c4b9a58568-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"You may select the license of your choice.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SLO_historical_museum.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">You may select the license of your choice.</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:SLO_historical_museum.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857786","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Luis_Obispo_Carnegie_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14683887"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-luis-obispo-county/san-luis-obispo-carnegie-library-95000357/"}