National Register of Historic Places in Butte County
Andrew Carnegie funded 1,681 public library buildings in 1,412 communities between 1889 and 1923.
His philanthropy had a great impact on public library development in the United States. Free public libraries supported by local taxation had begun in Boston in 1849 and had spread slowly throughout the country. Carnegie attached two conditions to his offer: the local community had to provide a suitable site and agree to support the library through local tax funds.
Oroville Carnegie Library, designed by William Weeks, is one of thirty-six Temple Style Classical Revival Carnegie Libraries built in California between 1903 and 1915 and one of eighteen still standing.
Oroville's library history dates back to an 1859 early mining town library, one of the few to survive and be listed
in the 1876 national survey. Also listed were Placerville, Nevada City, and Knights Ferry.
Adapted from the NRHP Nomination.
When we photogrphed the building in April 2013, it housed the Butte County Public Law Library and the Oroville SHARP Facility.
Alameda
Bayliss
Biggs
Colusa
Corning
Eureka
Ferndale
Gilroy
Grass Valley
Gridley
Hanford
Healdsburg
Hollister
Lincoln
Livermore
Lompoc
Nevada City
Oakland - 23rd Avenue Branch
Oakland - Alden Branch
Oakland - Golden Gate Branch
Oakland - Melrose Branch
Orland
Oroville
Oxnard
Paso Robles
Patterson
Petaluma
Riverbank
Roseville
Sacramento
San Francisco Chinatown Branch
San Francisco Golden Gate Valley Branch
San Francisco Mission Branch
San Francisco Noe Valley Branch
San Francisco Presidio Branch
San Francisco Richmond Branch
San Francisco Sunset Branch
San Luis Obispo
Santa Cruz (Garfield Park Branch)
Sonoma
South San Francisco
Some Other Carnegie Free Libraries in the West
The website Carnegie Libraries of California contains much information about these libraries.