Calexico Carnegie Library

Completed in 1919, Calexico Carnegie Library was built with a $10,000 grant from industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie after Calexico's Woman's Improvement Club and the Farmers and Merchants Club encouraged the city to apply for the funds. To receive the grant, the city had to demonstrate a need, provide a suitable site, and agree to support operations through local taxes. More than 2500 library buildings were constructed worldwide with Carnegie grants. The original master plan by the architectural firm of Allison & Allison envisioned the building as part of a larger "Intellectual Park" including the library, schools, churches, and civic buildings. Designed in the mission revival style, the building served as the city's public library from 1919 to 1986. When it was threatened with demolition in 1993, preservationists and the citizens of Calexico united to save it, reaffirming its historic importance and significance for future generations.

Calexico, California · United States