Lakeport Carnegie Library
Why it's listed
Set in Library Park on the western shore of Clear Lake, this single-story Carnegie library was completed in early 1918. It measures 28 by 52 feet, has a basement, and is covered in plaster under a hipped roof with curved modillions along the cornice. A central entrance with a fourteen-light door and decorative plasterwork anchors a symmetrical front. Funding came from a $8,000 Carnegie grant offered in 1914, on the condition that the town support the library through local taxes. Construction waited until 1917 because the dredged lakefront fill was not dry enough. The park land was deeded by waterfront owners with the right to build a public library. Local women's clubs had earlier run a small circulating library from 1906. The building is one of the twenty-three surviving Classical Revival Type C Carnegie libraries in California. It served Lakeport for about eighty years until a new library opened in 1986, and it is now vacant.
Significance in brief: It is significant under Criterion A in education and under Criterion C in architecture, as one of the thirty-two Classical Revival Type C California Carnegie libraries completed between 1903 and 1921. Twenty-three of them are still extant. It also reflects local efforts to create a public park and a public library on filled lakefront land. Its significance is local.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 08000261, listed April 10, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 200 Park St., Lakeport |
|---|---|
| County | Lake County |
| Listed | April 10, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000261 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1918-1921 |
| Architect / builder | Ward and Blohme, Architect; Hinds and Randolf, Contractors |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival (Type C) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The building is currently vacant and used for storage by the City of Lakeport. Alterations are minimal, limited to a replaced basement door and stairs and an added basement entry around 1950. |
| Acreage | 2.5 |
| Coordinates | 39.04322, -122.91421 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 08000261.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6478898
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.