San Luis Obispo Carnegie Library
In September, 1902, tbe San Luis Obispo city library board applied to Andrew Carnegie for a donation to erect a suitable and permanent building. A donation of $10,000 was received in February, 1903. The community built the library next to the San Luis Obispo Mission and in October, 1905, the library opened to the public. Watsonville architect William H. Weeks, who designed 21 Carnegie libraries in California, designed the library in the Richardsonian Romanesque style with High Victorian, Beaux Arts and Italianate features using local materials. The granite for the foundation was quarried at Bishop Peak, the tallest of the Nine Sisters. The Los Berros yellow sandstone was quarried near Arroyo Grande. The library operated until 1955 and is now home to the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. The library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt