By Harrison Power
Opened to the public in 1971, the Modesto-Stanislaus Library at 1500 I Street in Modesto marked a significant transition for the Modesto community’s cultural programs and library access, as the new library consolidated the municipal and county library systems and greatly expanded library collection capacity. This library replaced the 1912 McHenry Library, which had been expanded in 1929 to accommodate a growing population. Extensive civic partnership between City of Modesto and Stanislaus County leaders led to the joint project, and the community at large continues to benefit from this literary cornerstone of downtown. Bibliophiles will now have alternative means of accessing the County Library’s resources, given the library’s temporary closure in November 2024 for extensive renovations and modernization. With the library’s grand re-opening expected in the Summer of 2026, here’s a look at how the library came to be.
The new library, when plans were finalized and released, was called “the plushest public building ever built in Stanislaus County” by the Modesto Bee in 1969 for the variety of amenities provided by the proposed facility: audio-visual collections, a humidity-controlled historic records vault, sound-proof typewriter stalls, children’s reading room, a 180-seat community auditorium, and curbside book drop, just to name a few. The library when finished was set up to hold 100,000 volumes on the main floor with basement storage for another 50,000 volumes, with additional display capacity to accommodate growth of the collection. The County Librarian at the time, Oscar Smaalders, worked with City and County officials in developing the goals and plans for the library’s new home.
Designed by Los Angeles architect Robert A. Field, plans for the steel-framed building incorporated a white rough concrete block facade with concrete pillars and a patterned frieze, a modernist take on the neo-classical Greek style. An open-air portico surrounds the library, and was originally lit by massive mid-century chandeliers, which matched the lamp posts flanking either side of the I Street entrance steps. The Modesto City Council had appropriated $1.4 million in 1966 for the construction of a new library, while $180,000 from Stanislaus County and a $980,000 federal grant via the State Library Board accounted for the remainder of the funds needed, with the project totaling approximately $2.5 million when initiated.
Following the completion of the library’s construction by the Modesto-based Acme Construction Company, the formal dedication ceremony took place on November 13th, 1971. Modesto Mayor Lee Davies presented the new library to Stanislaus Board of Supervisors Chairman Robert Fahey, and California State Librarian Carma R. Leigh was in attendance. The dedication kicked off a week-long community celebration of free public events with the theme “Happiness is a New Library”, including art exhibits, film shows, dances, and a Fiesta.
While Modesto and the greater community waits with anticipation for the grand re-opening, a special thank you to the Friends of the Modesto Library, Stanislaus County, City of Modesto, and nearly $10 million in State of California grants for making this project possible. The crucial infrastructure updates, facility upgrades, and new furnishings to be addressed in the improvement project will help revamp and revitalize the downtown modernist library to serve library-card holders and patrons alike for generations to come.
