Sacramento's Central Library

Completed in 1918, Sacramento's Central Library was funded in the early 20th century by Andrew Carnegie. In the 19th century, the Sacramento Library Association was founded by the city's early civic leaders, with Sacramento’s first public subscription library established in 1857. After purchasing a building on I Street with a furnished first-floor library in 1872, the Association transferred ownership to the city in 1879. The Sacramento Free Public Library opened at this location, becoming the Central Library in Sacramento's city and county library systems. After Carnegie allocated $100,000 to improve the building in 1914, it reopened to the public in 1918. Today, Sacramento’s city and county library systems include over two dozen branches, in addition to the Central Library. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 as part of a multi-property nomination for California's Carnegie Libraries.

The Sacramento Library Association was founded by the city's early civic leaders E.B. Crocker, Leland Stanford, and C.P. Huntington. Together, they established Sacramento’s first public subscription library in 1857. The Association initially purchased a building with furnished first-floor library on I Street (between 7th and 8th Streets) in 1872. Due to financial difficulties, however, ownership of the building was transferred to the City of Sacramento only a few years later, in 1879. The Sacramento Free Public Library subsequently began operating at this location later the same year. In 1908, a county-wide public library system was established, with multiple branch libraries throughout the city and county of Sacramento.

In 1914, the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie allocated $100,000 to improve the building, and it was designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style by the San Francisco architect, Loring Rixford, before reopening to the public in 1918. Well-situated on a prominent corner in downtown Sacramento, the Central Library is located near a federal building, City Plaza Park, and City Hall. The façade of the three-story brick Central Library was designed in “rosy buff,” with ornamental terra cotta manufactured by Gladding McBean of Lincoln, California, incorporated throughout the façade. On the first floor, square windows were separate by decorative lion heads, while the second story featured large, arched windows in a Classical Revival style.

Along with several renovations over the years, a major addition was completed on the west and south side of the building that integrated a modern glass galleria and a glass-roofed foyer. The original 1918 Carnegie-funded building was left in-tact and has been preserved. Today, Sacramento’s city and county public library systems include more than two dozen branches, including the original Central Library (also known as the City Library). This historic building contains the Sacramento Room, a repository for state and local history. The Sacramento Central Library, or City Library, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 as part of a multi-property nomination for California’s Carnegie Libraries.

"Our History", Sacramento Public Library. Accessed August 31st, 2023. https://www.saclibrary.org/About/Our-History.

"Our Locations: Central Library", Sacramento Public Library. Accessed August 31st, 2023. https://www.saclibrary.org/Locations/Central.

"Sacramento Central Library: Nomination Form, National Register of Historic Places", National Archives. June 29th, 1992. Accessed August 31st, 2023. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857732.

"Sacramento, Sacramento County", Carnegie Libraries. Accessed August 31st, 2023. https://www.carnegie-libraries.org/california/sacramento.html.

"The Sacramento Room", Sacramento Public Library. Accessed August 31st, 2023. https://www.saclibrary.org/Education/History/The-Sacramento-Room.