The Goodman Library is a historic library located at 1219 1st St. in
Napa,
California. Built in 1901, the library was paid for by George E. Goodman and built on land donated by Goodman. Architect Luther M. Turton designed the building in the
Richardson Romanesque style, which can be seen in its use of rusticated stone, round arch windows, and massive scale. The design represented a shift in Napa architecture, which was mainly
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literature ...
prior to the library's construction.
History
The Goodman Library is the longest-operating library in California, partially due to a clause in Goodman's donation of the building. Goodman stipulated that the building would remain in the city's possession as long as it served as a library but would otherwise revert to his heirs.
When Napa moved its city library to a different building in the 1970s, the Napa County Historical Society acquired the building for its research library so it would still satisfy its original purpose. At one time, the library housed both the historical society and Napa County Landmarks.
The library was added to the
National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 1974.
The building was damaged by the
2014 South Napa earthquake
The 2014 South Napa earthquake occurred in the North San Francisco Bay Area on August 24 at . At 6.0 on the moment magnitude scale and with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe''), the event was the largest in the San Francisco Bay Are ...
. A $1.75M contract to repair damage to the building including bracing and a new roof was awarded in January 2017. The work began in April 2017 and was completed in early 2018. The Napa County Historical Society reopened their operations by summer 2018 and maintain library services and an exhibit space to this day.
References
External links
Napa County Historical Society*
{{National Register of Historic Places
Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in California
Romanesque Revival architecture in California
Beaux-Arts architecture in California
History of Napa County, California
Library buildings completed in 1901
Buildings and structures in Napa County, California
Napa, California
National Register of Historic Places in Napa County, California
1901 establishments in California