National Register of Historic Places

Woodland Public Library

Woodland, Yolo County, California
Listed
September 27, 1981
Type
Building
Period
Pre Contact
Ref No.
81000183

About this property

The Woodland Public Library is the oldest, and one of the last functioning Carnegie-funded libraries in California. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a contributing property of the Downtown Woodland Historic District. Woodland's library history began with ice-cream socials and book donations from community members, led by the women in the community in 1874. In 1891 a $500 donation helped the community's efforts and led to the establishment of a free public library held in a small area in City Hall. In 1903 a grant from Andrew Carnegie was received in the amount of $10,000 for the construction of a public library. Dodge & Dolliver of San Francisco (whose work included the San Mateo County Courthouse and St. John's Presbyterian Church in San Francisco) was to design the first phase of the library. Dodge & Dolliver designed the building based on Mission Revival architecture even though James Bertram, Carnegie's personal secretary, objected to their choice. William Henry Curson, the contractor for the Woodland Opera House, was the contractor for the job. Between 1915 and 1979 an agreement was made between the Yolo County Library System and the City Library. The two organizations shared the same building for administrative operations but the Yolo County Library had a separate service establishment. This led to Carnegie donating $12,000 in 1915 to expand the building. A west wing was added, designed by W.H. Weeks, with an entrance on Court Street with a sign that said "County Library" while the original entrance on First Street said "City Library". In 1927-1929 another expansion occurred, and in 1985 voters approved a $2.5 million expansion that included the construction of the Leake Room and the interior courtyard. When the additions were completed in 1988, the building was twice as large. National Register of Historic Places listings in Yolo County, California

Location

250 1st St.
Woodland, Yolo County, California
38.67905, -121.77362

Categories

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREEDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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Nearby Historic Sites

Downtown Woodland Historic District
Pre Contact
0.1 mi
Porter Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Woodland Opera House
Pre Contact
0.1 mi
Hotel Woodland
Pre Contact
0.1 mi
Yolo County Courthouse
Industrial
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Woodland Public Library listed on the National Register?

Woodland Public Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 27, 1981.

What type of historic resource is Woodland Public Library?

Woodland Public Library is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Woodland Public Library?

The period of significance for Woodland Public Library is recorded as the pre_contact era.

Can I research the history near Woodland Public Library?

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