A. K. Smiley Public Library

United States historic place

Significant dates

A. K. Smiley Public Library
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
California Historical Landmark No. 994^[2]


34°03′16″N 117°11′02″W / 34.05435°N 117.18391°W / 34.05435; -117.18391
Area	2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built	1898 (1898)
Architect	Griffith, T.R.
Architectural style	Mission Revival, Moorish Revival
NRHP reference No.	76000513^[1]
CHISL No.	994^[2]
Added to NRHP	December 12, 1976
Designated CHISL	August 17, 1990

The A. K. Smiley Public Library is a public library located at 125 W. Vine St. in Redlands, California. Built in 1898, the library was donated to Redlands by philanthropist Albert K. Smiley. The library is within Smiley Park Historic District and adjacent the Redlands Bowl and Lincoln Memorial Shrine.

History

Architect T.R. Griffith designed the library in a style which has alternately been described as Mission Revival and Moorish Revival and includes a variety of elements from additional styles. The building has a tile roof and parapets topping arcades on its sides, which suggest a Mission Revival influence; however, the battlement and the curves in the parapet are Moorish Revival elements. In addition, elements of the arches in the arcade, the windows, and the roof ridge were borrowed from classical, Gothic, Spanish Romanesque, and Oriental themens. The library still serves as the Redlands public library. In addition, it houses a collection of materials on native tribes in California donated by Andrew Carnegie, as well as a collection of rare materials about Southern California and local history.^[3]

The library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 12, 1976.^[1] It was designated a California Historical Landmark on August 17, 1990.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ ^a ^b "A.K. Smiley Public Library". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
^ Irshay, Phyllis (July 12, 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: A.K. Smiley Public Library". National Park Service. Retrieved May 6, 2013.