Anaheim : Old Carnegie Library Plans to Be Discussed

City officials today will review plans to rehabilitate the old Carnegie Library, one of the city’s oldest buildings.

Plans for an Anaheim Museum in the 77-year-old building on the corner of Anaheim Boulevard and Broadway have been in the works for years. The museum would house historical items from individuals and places from throughout the county, but specifically Anaheim, museum director Herbert Pruett said.

Before it becomes a museum, however, the vacant building needs to be renovated because “at this point, it’s not usable,” Pruett said.

Listed in the National Register of Historical Places, the old library requires about $710,000 worth of renovations, Lisa Stipkovich, a community development official, said.

Today, council members, acting in their role as the city’s Redevelopment Agency, will discuss how much, if any, city money will go toward the project. The city has already applied for a $300,000 state grant.

The library, the last of five remaining Carnegie libraries in the county, is owned by the city and would be leased to Anaheim Museum Inc. once it is renovated. The building has been vacant since the city stopped using it as a personnel department in the late 1970s, officials said.