Civic Pride in a Lost America: Library Postcards
Carnegie Libraries of California
Cities N-R
Late 2021: several recent additions.
Oakland
Built in 1902, now the African American Museum Library. There are four Carnegie-funded branches, none of which I have images.
Earthquake survivor.
Card published for Owl Drug. Entire back, never used.
Ontario
1905 grant: condemned for undefined safety issues in 1959.
(L) ZIM postcard, titled "Carnegie Library on Euclid."
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(R) Beautiful photo postcard shows details and the Library at its best advantage.
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Orange
1908 - 1961
1907 grant. 1930 addition. Replaced in 1960. The successor library is also demolished.
Unattributed card mailed in 1912.
Orosi
According to Carnegie Libraries of California. this is the last Carnegie library constructed in the state: 1921. It's still in use, but since 1978, as the Orosi-Cutler Branch Library.
The card was used in 1988 as a town reunion reminder. At first I thought it was a reproduction of an early card, but then I saw the Orosi-Cutler sign over its door.
Oxnard
(L) One of Curt Teich's best efforts, produced for J.R. Brakey. Printed on the reverse:
Our post cards are the best. Send our Ventura County Post Cards to your friends.
We publish views of all important subjects in VENTURA COUNTY.
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(R) Wayne Paper Box & Printing card.
1906 grant. Replaced in 1963. Now used as an art museum.
Quite attractive Greek Revival building that looks as if there's a lot of wasted space. Good for a temple, bad for a library.
Pacific Grove
The Library received its Carnegie grant in 1906. The building was enlarged in 1926, 1938, 1950, and 1978-1981. The last renovation seems to have essentially obliterated any traces of the Mission- style Carnegie building.
The card was produced locally by Chas. K. Tuttle.
Palo Alto
Built 1903, addition made 1940, demolished 1967.
Edward H. Mitchell sepia tinted postcard.
Paso Robles
1908 copyright date, by Alsop.
Another Clear View (Wayne Paper Printing & Box) card, showing the bucolic library setting.
Captioned 'Pasa Robles' by M. Rieder & Co. Probably the German publisher wasn't aware of the error.
It was mailed in 1909. The cancellation was struck so hard that the paper was damaged.
1906 Carnegie grant. WPA addition, 1939. Converted to an historical society museum in 1998.
Patterson (Stanislaus County Library)
1917 grant. Built in 1921. One source states the land was not donated until that year, However, another comments that construction was delayed until after the Great War, and that the land reverted to the Patterson Land (possibly Ranch) Company once this facility was closed.
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Its architect was DeColmisnil, and the building, nicely spruced up, is now the Carnegie Professional Center.
Petaluma
Built 1906: replaced in 1976. Now a museum.
When Edward H. Mitchell decided to make cards in color, the product could be magnificent. This postcard was mailed in 1912.
Pomona
Newman postcard which may have been part of an postcard folder.
PCK (Paul C. Koeber Co.) card issued during the 1907 transition period. The street looks like it's in the middle of some hefty repairs.
This doesn't look like a Carnegie library. However, the spacing of its windows is similar to that of the original library building.
The card predates the 1966 demolition, and was printed by Colourpicture for its Lusterchrome line.
1903 - 1966
1902 and 1913 grants (the latter covered an addition). Burnham and Bliesner were the architects, working in the Classical Revival style.
Porterville
1908 - 1947
1907 grant. Condemned in 1947. Six long years elapsed before the new library was built.
Heathens.
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Unusual architecture combining the native Mission style with Romanesque features. Onawa, Iowa has a two-storey Carnegie building in the same vein. The photo postcard was probably made shortly after the building was finished.
The tinted postcard was produced by Benham Co.
Redding
Edward H. Mitchell's caption:
Hotel Lorenz and Public Library, Yuba St., Redding, California.
The 1904 Library only lasted until 1962, when the Carnegie building was demolished. After 1949, the city library function was merged into the county, but it did serve as a county headquarters for a few years.
Redwood City
1905 - 1950
Two grants: the first in 1904 for construction; the second, post-1906 earthquake for repairs. Only 33 years later, the library moved to new digs.
Unattractive ZIM card, with the building and the lawn tinted. There's a blurry little girl skipping down the sidewalk.
Richmond
Early 1909 grant. Opened in 1910, and served as a library until 1949, which seems like an unlikely year for replacement buildings. W. H. Week's building is still standing and is in use as a museum.
(How many times have I typed that on my California pages?)
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An Edward H. Mitchell sepia card shows off the library nicely.
Riverside
(L) Card dated between 1907 and 1911, produced by Paul C. Koeber Co. of New York City and Kircheim, Germany.
(R) Card post-1907. Attribution: 'Post Cards of Quality - The Albertype Co., Brooklyn, N.Y.' Just exquisite.
Fantastic Spanish Mission style library in Riverside, torn down in 1964. At least it reached its 60 year anniversary, by a single year.
(L) Caption:
Carnegie Library, Riverside, Cal.
Visited by President Roosevelt
This M. Reider card is the oldest of the four, mailed in 1904. Due to damage, the scan was cropped on the right side.
(R) The Benham Indian Trading Company card was printed by the Neuner Company.
