Hollister Carnegie Library, Public library building in Hollister, California.
The Hollister Carnegie Library is a one-story Classical Revival building with concrete walls scored to resemble granite blocks and Ionic columns framing its entrance. The structure stands on Fifth Street between San Benito and Monterey streets and now functions as City Hall with an attached extension housing council chambers.
Andrew Carnegie granted 10,000 dollars in 1910 to fund construction of this library building. The facility operated as a library until 1959, when it transitioned to house the Superior Court and Probation Department.
The library originated from the Hollister Library Association established in 1874 and merged collections from the Mechanics Library and a Women's Christian Temperance Union reading room. These early community efforts show how important education and shared knowledge were to local residents.
The building sits in central Hollister at an easy-to-find location between two main streets. Visitors should note that it now serves as City Hall and is not publicly accessible as a library.
The building's concrete construction was specifically designed to resist earthquakes in this seismically active region. This engineering choice reflects how builders adapted the design to address local hazards.
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