Friends of the Oakland Public Library
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"Public libraries receive less than 1% of all tax dollars and are used by more than 50
percent of the population." |
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Friends of the Oakland Public Library
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The Melrose Library:
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| It all started in 1911, after the 1909 annexation of the Melrose District into the city of Oakland. The first library branch building was constructed by a local resident, Mrs. Mary A. Taylor, to lease to the Oakland Library. The current building was one of four branches built with a Carnegie grant given in 1914. The Melrose District was picked as a site for a new branch because the old branch was already overutilized and under the capacity needed by the neighborhood. There were a number of schools in the area, including Fremont High, which used the library. |
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The Melrose Branch had a leg up on construction because the land at 48th Avenue and Foothill Blvd. was donated by J.R. Talcott and Henry Root. At the request of Mr. Root, the building was designed by W.H. Weeks, who had designed a number of school buildings in the area. The land donations allowed the city to begin construction of the Melrose Branch without having to go through the process of condemning property to obtain a site, which took an extra two years in the case of Golden Gate and the Alden (now Temescal) branches. This was a great advantage for the Melrose Branch because building began before World War I drove up prices for construction materials. This caused the other branches to be scaled back a bit. The Melrose Branch is larger and has some extra features, like a marble foyer, not found in the other Carnegie branches.
One "extra" that is having an effect for the branch today is that the Melrose Branch has steel reinforcing the masonry construction of the building. This means that the branch has not been classified as a "URM" (unreinforced masonry building) along with the Golden Gate and Temescal branches. There are still concerns however, among branch patrons and staff that this reinforcement is not enough to make the building safe in a major earthquake. The latest developments around this problem are noted elsewhere in this issue.
Initial construction was completed in two years, and the Melrose Branch was dedicated on September 8th, 1916. As with other branch dedications of the period it featured a musical program and addresses by local dignitaries.
The Melrose Branch continued to receive support from the community after the new building was completed.
The parents of H.D.W. Gibson donated their son's collection of 3,419 books and a bequest of $10,000 in investment funds, helping to build and improve the materials collection at this branch.
The Melrose Branch had all but closed in recent years. In the early 1990's it was open just two days a week. Starting in late 1993, it "reopened" five days a week in response to community opposition to proposed closure. Fremont High is still a neighbor. For that reason, and many others, this branch is an important resource for the Melrose area. The community, as in its beginnings, is supporting the library, through the Friends of the Melrose Library, chaired by former councilmember assistant Chris Ralls. They’re actively involved in seismic upgrade issues, improving services and letting folks in the neighborhood know the branch is open and available. F.O.P.L. is currently helping the Friends of Melrose Library conduct a survey of the community to find out how the library can better serve the neighborhood.
We all look forward to a bright future for this historic branch.
-- Alice Mercer
(Please note that this story may not reflect current staff assignments at this branch.)
Go here to read Touched by Melrose, published in 12/03 in Off the Shelf
Click here for current information about the Melrose Branch Library.
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