Grand Avenue Library

Grand Avenue Library. . , The Grand Avenue Library opened its doors in 1916 as South San Francisco's first library, one of thousands of new libraries in the United States funded by a grant from businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie., Local teacher Rue Randall Clifford collected the signatures needed for the grant while riding on horseback throughout the City. Ms. Clifford's hard work paid off, and in 1914, Mr. Carnegie awarded the City $10,000 for construction of a library. The building was designed by architect W.H. Weeks and built by the O'Rourke and Grady Construction Company. The Grand Avenue Library served as the City's only library for nearly 50 years, until a new main library opened on West Orange Avenue in 1966., The Grand Avenue Library has been renovated several times over the years. In 1953, construction was completed on a new children's wing at the back of the library. As part of this renovation, the mural "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod” by Gladding, McBean and Company was installed around the fireplace. In 1985, the library's interior was remodeled to make space for more books and the main entrance was relocated to Walnut Avenue. The building was designated a local Historic Resource the following year., The building underwent a seismic upgrade in 1997. In 2012, the exterior was restored and painted to complement the adjacent City Hall building., Celebrating 100 years of service to the community, the Grand Avenue Library re-opened in October 2016 after another major renovation, this time with a new classroom, outdoor patio, and updated technology., (Timeline not transcribed - click on marker photo to read the timeline.) ,