{"nrhp_refnum":"96000105","name":"Oakland Free Library-Alden Branch","other_names":["Oakland Public Library Temescal Branch"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5205 Telegraph Ave., 500 52nd St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oakland","county":"Alameda County","state":"CA","lat":37.838445284000045,"lon":-122.26283378099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-02-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Tudor Revival branch library at 5205 Telegraph Avenue / 500 52nd Street in Oakland, California, built in 1917-18 with Carnegie funds and designed by Charles W. Dickey and John J. Donovan, with R.W. Littlefield as builder.","why_significant":"It was one of four Carnegie-funded Oakland branch libraries built under a 1914 grant, and one of only two Tudor Revival Carnegie libraries in California. It has served continuously as a library and is virtually unchanged inside and out. It is also tied to the neighborhood's social history, including service to a largely Italian working-class community.","narrative":"Built in 1917-18 at the corner of Telegraph Avenue and 52nd Street in Oakland, this Tudor Revival library opened as the Alden Branch and is now known as the Temescal Branch. It has dark red clinker brick walls, white cast concrete and stucco trim, slate roofs and tall leaded glass windows. Inside, two reading rooms flank a skylit central desk, with oak woodwork, beamed ceilings and low Tudor arches. Carnegie money paid for it as one of four Oakland branches funded by a 1914 grant, replacing a series of rented quarters. Charles W. Dickey and John J. Donovan designed it, and R.W. Littlefield built it. It is one of only two Tudor Revival Carnegie libraries built in California. The building also reflects its working-class, largely Italian neighborhood, where the library offered Italian-language books. It has operated as a library without interruption, is largely unaltered, and was designated an Oakland City Landmark in 1980.","period_of_significance":"1918 - 1946","architect_builder":"Dickey, Charles W. (architect); Donovan, John J. (architect); Littlefield, R.W. (builder)","architectural_style":"Tudor Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Continues in its historic use as an active branch library and neighborhood meeting hall; described as in excellent condition with excellent integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.381348-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/96000105.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000105/31d43a88d9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000105/31d43a88d9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oakland_Free_Library-Alden_Branch_(Oakland,_CA).JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</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:Oakland_Free_Library-Alden_Branch_(Oakland,_CA).JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857340","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133255014"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/alameda-county/oakland-free-library-alden-branch-96000105/"}