Harrison Memorial Library

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Harrison Memorial Library
Harrison Memorial Library, Carmel.jpg
Harrison Memorial Library, Carmel
CountryU.S. state
ArchitectC. J. Ryland
LocationOcean Avenue, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, US
Service areaMonterey County, California
Coordinates36°33′19″N 121°55′24″W / 36.55528°N 121.92333°W / 36.55528; -121.92333Coordinates: 36°33′19″N 121°55′24″W / 36.55528°N 121.92333°W / 36.55528; -121.92333
WebsiteOfficial website
Map

The Harrison Memorial Library is a historic building designed by architect Bernard Maybeck and built by Michael J. Murphy in 1928. It houses a public library for the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The library provides books, materials and programs that support the pursuit of education, information, recreation, and culture. It includes documents about the history and development of Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula. The Harrison Memorial Library was named after California Supreme Court Justice Ralph C. Harrison.

History[]

Photo of the Harrison Memorial Library.
Harrison Memorial Library Sign.

In 1904, the Carmel Library began in a cottage at the beginning of the library movement. On October 12, 1922, after Ella Reid Harrison death, her estate financed a memorial to her husband, California Supreme Court Justice Ralph Chandler Harrison, for the purpose of establishing a public library.[1]

Four years later, in June 1927, the board of trustees of the Harrison Memorial Library started proceedings toward building the library. Her estate included rare books and a number of valuable art pieces for the library.[2] The new library was designed by California architect Bernard Maybeck in a Spanish Eclectic style and built by Michael J. Murphy.[3][4]

The Harrison Memorial Library opened on March 31, 1928, in the building on the corner of Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Street, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. A $40,000 modernization was done in 1949 and a second remodeling in 1977.[4][5]

The library contains digital collections from the 1900s to the 2000s, genealogy tools, house & buildings collections, historical maps, searchable newspapers, and oral history interviews with Carmel residents. The digital collection includes photographs illustrating theater performances by the historic Forest Theater of Carmel, which was founded in 1910.[6]

Conservation plan[]

The city of Carmel has created a Downtown Conservation District plan to protect the historic buildings on Ocean Avenue. The Harrison Memorial Library meets the selection criteria from criterion 1, which says: "Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United States." and criterion 3, which says: "Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region or method of construction or represents the work of a master or possesses high artistic values."[7]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Mrs. Ella Reid Harrison Burned". Stockton Daily Evening Record. Stockton, California. 12 Oct 1922. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  2. ^ "Locked chest Hides Carmel Art Secrets". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. 23 Jun 1927. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  3. ^ Seavey, Kent (2007). Carmel, A History in Architecture. Arcadia Pub. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. p. 114. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  4. ^ a b Hale, Sharron Lee (1980). A tribute to yesterday: The history of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmelite Monastery, and Los Burros. Valley Publishers. Santa Cruz, California. p. 67. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  5. ^ "History of the Library". ci.carmel.ca.us. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  6. ^ "Harrison Memorial Library". californiarevealed.org. Carmel, California. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  7. ^ "City Of Carmel-By-The-Sea Downtown Conservation District Historic Property Survey" (PDF). City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. 2019. Retrieved 2022-01-17.

External links[]

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