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PICTURED: The present photo of where the first Visalia Library once stood, now occupied by Janeen’s Family Furniture and Sugar Plum’s boutique. LEFT: The first photo of the Carnige library building in 1904, named the Visalia Free Library.
In 1888, the corner housed a laundry believed to be operated by a Chinese immigrant named Wing Wah Chung. Next to the wash house was a marble yard and monument business where Robert Johnston cut and polished marble and granite. The fancy headstones lined Visalia’s Main Street until about 1937 when the operation relocated closer to the cemetery. In the late 1800s there had been several failed attempts to create a library, but as the new century arrived, the Visalia City Council was poised for action. Up to that time, reading rooms were used as libraries, but they were small and book selection was limited. They were usually set up in donated building spaces and run by civic minded groups, but they were a poor substitute for a real library. As with many municipal projects, the council struggled with financing. They began considering a generous program created by wealthy businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who was offering money to cities for library construction. The council decided to apply for a grant. In early 1902 the council submitted an application to Carnegie’s foundation and a year later their request was approved. The city was awarded $10,000 with the stipulation that they would provide a suitable building site and agree to financially support the library operation annually. With financial help from organizations and individuals, the city raised $1,500 to purchase Robert Johnston’s lot at Encina and Main. Construction began in late 1903. Pressed limestone bricks were used for the exterior walls, granite slabs from the “Rocky Hill Quarry” were incorporated into the structure, and slate from Amador County was used for the roof. Inside, the plans called for some interesting features. A “patent heater” and “ventilator” would allow comfortable heating and cooling throughout the year. A fumigation chamber would sanitize the books before they were checked out. A book elevator was included giving the librarian a convenient way to get
books to the main floor from the basement without heavy lifting or the use of the stairway. During construction the city conducted a search for a librarian to staff the facility. The recruitment effort found experienced librarian Grace Hurlbut of York, Nebraska, and she immediately went to work preparing for the opening. In May 1904, the Visalia Free Library was finished. The Visalia Daily Delta called it “one of the most handsome structures in the city.” On May 31, the doors opened to the public with the children invited to attend in the afternoon. In the evening a formal opening ceremony was held for the adults. Hundreds toured the building as they were given an explanation of the operation of the library. The crowd was impressed with the building and the collection of over a thousand books, all received from donations and reading rooms. For three decades the library served the community. By the early 1930s, the population of the town had doubled since its opening and the facility was straining under the pressure of increased use. In January 1934, the Visalia Woman’s Club sent a letter to the City Council and wrote in part, “Modern education demands services from our libraries that cannot be rendered under crowded and archaic conditions.” They joined others in the call for a new library. During the high unemployment years of the Great Depression, the federal government established an agency called the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Organized to help create jobs, the WPA especially liked the construction of public buildings. Many cities were drawn to the program, but in order to qualify for federal funding, local government was required to provide over half of the project cost. Visalia scrambled to find the $19,000 necessary for its share of the new library. The city succeeded and in late 1935 construction began. The new and expanded library opened in August 1936 in the “Lindsey-Tipton Park” at Oak and Encina where it remains today. A month before the new library opened,
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