Yreka Carnegie Library - Yreka, CA
N 41° 43.945 W 122° 38.327
10T E 530040 N 4620130
This former library is now the Yreka Police Department located on Miner Street in Yreka, CA.
Waymark Code: WMH1NY
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 05/07/2013
Views: 4
The Yreka Police Department was once the former home to the Yreka Carnegie Library and was built in 1912. There's a NRHP plaque monumented on the front of the building along with another plaque memorializing a former policeman killed in the line of duty.
The following comes from the NRHP nomination form:
The Yreka Carnegie is the most northerly in California, beyond Eureka and Ferndale on the coast, and Alturas in the northeastern corner of the state, all still standing. Few municipalities existed between these and the next tier further south: Redding, no longer standing; Willits, Ukiah, and Lakeport to the west; Nevada City and Grass Valley in the Sierra foothills, and the many Carnegies which still dot the Sacramento Valley from Corning south.
Yreka's interest in libraries dates from 1855 according to a San
Francisco newspaper report on agitation for a joint stock library.
Probably no formal steps were taken. In 1857 a "ladies library" was
formed which differed from Sierra gold country "saloon substitute"
libraries in that it was intended to fill the void left for the women
and children of the community in the absence of the miners. This may
have been the nucleus of the 1910 Yreka Improvement Club library,
initial project of the newly organized group, which became the Yreka
Public Library after the passage of Ordinance No. 68 in June, 1910. The city requested Carnegie funding, and purchased a lot for $1000, with the aid of the Improvement Club. Promise of $8000 was given in March, 1913. W.H. Weeks designed the building, modified after the first bids were all too high. Peterson & Wilson of San Francisco won the contract, only to suffer financial reverses, and C.L. Noel completed the building. With the contribution of $400 from the Improvement Club for furnishings, the building opened to the public on October 20, 1915. After 1970, consolidation of city and county libraries at a new location, the police department moved into the Carnegie building. In 1980, with the requirement for more space, an addition was added to the rear of the building.
Although the Carnegie Library was Yreka's only library until 1970, the
period of significance has been ended at 1942, fifty years ago, because of the absence of exceptional significance.
There is an older picture of this former library (date unknown) as a photos PDF attachment and it looks as though this building has maintained much the look and appearance is it did 100 years ago.
I also discovered a website devoted to Carnegie libraries and this former library is listed here.