Riverbank, Stanislaus County
San Joaquin Valley/North area, Central Valley region
Riverbank Chamber of Commerce
3237 Santa Fe Street
Riverbank, CA 95367
opened 1921
Public library from 1921-1978
currently a museum
grant amount: $3,000
architectural style: Bungalow/Craftsman
architect: unknown
On the banks of the Stanislaus River, Riverbank is between Modesto and
Oakdale on Highway 108. The Carnegie building is in the old downtown, on the
north side of Santa Fe Street between Second and Third streets. Its immediate
neighbors are the police department, shops and residences. The old library
itself is residential in appearance, one of four Craftsman style California Carnegies
and one of the last three Carnegies constructed in California.
Riverbank history began with the 1895 extension of the San Francisco and San
Joaquin Valley (later Santa Fe) railroad and in 1901 the Oakdale Irrigation
Company brought water to its outlying areas. Its first library was in "The
Mission Shop." In 1917 Stanislaus county received a Carnegie grant of $3000
each for Riverbank and Patterson. Building plans were delayed by the war and
afterwards, when Riverbank seemed slow to move, Patterson requested
Riverbank's $3000. Spurred to action, Riverbank citizens contributed to the
purchase of a site notable for its large oak, which they later enhanced with
other memorial and gift trees. The name of the contractor, "Miller," is
listed but not that of the architect. When a new county library was built,
citizens again rallied to save the library from being sold and it now houses
a small museum as well as the Chamber of Commerce.
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