The Alameda Free Library building is significant as the City of Alameda's first library building.

It was built with a $35,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie and designed by architects William H. Willcox and John M. Curtis of San Francisco who designed many private and public buildings in California. The builder was C. H. Foster and Son who lived in Alameda and built over one hundred private and public buildings in Alameda over a 30-year period.

The building is located across Santa Clara Avenue from Alameda City Hall (National Register #80000791).

The building no longer houses Alameda's Main Library. The new Main Library is located at 1550 Oak Street.

Carnegie Free Libraries in San Francisco
Chinatown, Golden Gate Valley, Mission, Noe Valley, Presidio, Richmond, Sunset

Carnegie Free Libraries in Oakland
23rd Avenue, Alden, Golden Gate, Melrose

Some Other Carnegie Free Libraries in California
Alameda, Bayliss, Biggs, Colusa, Corning, Eureka, Ferndale, Gilroy, Grass Valley, Gridley, Hanford, Healdsburg, Hollister, Lincoln. Livermore, Lompoc, Nevada City, Orland, Oroville, Oxnard, Paso Robles, Patterson, Petaluma, Riverbank, Roseville, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo Santa Cruz, Sonoma, South San Francisco, St. Helena, Turlock, Willits, Willows, Woodland, Yolo, Yreka

Some Other Carnegie Free Libraries in the West
Beaver, Utah; Coos Bay, Oregon; Medford, Oregon; Panguitch, Utah

For more information about these and other Carnegie Free Libraries, visit the website Carnegie Libraries of California.