San Luis Obispo County CA Archives Photo Place.....San Luis Obispo County Museum, San Luis Obispo 
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SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM 
696 Monterey Street. San Luis Obispo

History and Description:

Before 1904, the only library in San Luis Obispo was a pay library in the
Andrews Bank Building which charged fifty cents for membership.  The citizens of
San Luis Obispo applied to the Carnegie Foundation for funds to build a library.
Andrew Carnegie had funded libraries around the world, with 2000 in the United
States, with every state having a Carnegie Free Library.

After the city acquired the land, the library was started in 1904, with a
$10,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation.  The actual building cost was $9750.
Today the cost to duplicate the library would be in excess of $80,000.  Carnegie
only gave funds for the building.  The town had to raise the rest of the money
for books and land.  The money for the books was raised by fetes and teas
sponsored by the women of the city. The library existed until 1955.  Then in
1956, the city leased it to the county as a museum for a dollar a year.  The
museum has had over 270,000 visitors.

The museum is located across from Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa on Monterey
Street. Most of the California Carnegie Libraries were designed by the same
architect, W. H. weeks.  The building is 2000 square feet of masonry
construction.  The building is constructed of red brick with yellow stone trim
and igneous rock from Bishop's Peak at the base of the building.  The
cornerstone is dated 1904.  Inside, there are two fireplaces with the egg and
dart design which symbolizes life & death. The library has a picture of Andrew
Carnegie and had the words "Carnegie Free Library" over the door.  The interior
has dark handcarved wood Ionic columns set against a plaster relief ceiling.  In
1956, the building was completely rewired.  The lighting was changed from gas to
electricity in 1912, but still retains some of the original fixtures.

Sources:
Louisiana Dart, Curator, San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum



Additional Comments:
Extracted from

Discovering San Luis Obispo County
by
Carleton M. Winslow


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