In 1904 Oxnard mayor Richard Haydock wrote a letter to Andrew Carnegie soliciting a donation to build a library in the city. Carnegie's donatation covered all but $2,000 of the $14,000 cost. The Oxnard Public Library opened in 1907.
In 1904 Oxnard mayor Richard Haydock wrote a letter to Andrew Carnegie soliciting a donation to build a library in the city. Carnegie's donatation covered all but $2,000 of the $14,000 cost. The Oxnard Public Library opened in 1907.

Carnegie Art Museum

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In 1904 Oxnard’s first mayor, Richard B. Haydock, wrote a letter to Andrew Carnegie soliciting a donation to build a library in Oxnard. As the plans were drawn, the city decided to build a more expensive building that could also house the city’s municipal offices and city hall. Carnegie’s donation covered all but $2,000 of the $14,000 cost. The Neo-Classical building, designed by Franklin P. Burnham, opened in 1907 as the Oxnard Public Library. The structure continued to serve as Oxnard’s city hall until 1949, the Oxnard Public Library until 1963. In 1986, the building became the Carnegie Art Museum, owned and operated by the City of Oxnard. It was closed in 2019 due to financial difficulties. In July 1971, it became the first building in Ventura County and the first Carnegie library in California to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Oxnard, Ventura County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt