The A. K. Smiley Public Library is a public library located at 125 W. Vine St. in Redlands,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Built in 1898, the library was donated to Redlands by philanthropist Albert K. Smiley. Architect T.R. Griffith designed the library in a style which has alternately been described as

Mission Revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

and

Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centur ...

and includes a variety of elements from additional styles. The building has a tile roof and

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...

s topping arcades on its sides, which suggest a Mission Revival influence; however, the battlement and the curves in the parapet are Moorish Revival elements. In addition, elements of the arches in the arcade, the windows, and the roof ridge were borrowed from classical,

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Spanish Romanesque Spanish Romanesque designates the Romanesque art developed in the Chronology of the kingdoms on the Iberian peninsula, Hispanic-Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula in the 11th and 12th centuries. Its stylistic features are essentially co ...

, and Oriental themens. The library still serves as the Redlands public library. In addition, it houses a collection of materials on native tribes in California donated by

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

, as well as a collection of rare materials about Southern California and local history. The library was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on December 12, 1976. It was designated a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

on August 17, 1990.

References

External links

official A. K. Smiley Public Library websiteVirtual tour
* National Register of Historic Places in San Bernardino County, California Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in California Library buildings completed in 1898 Buildings and structures in Redlands, California Mission Revival architecture in California Moorish Revival architecture in California Education in San Bernardino County, California Tourist attractions in San Bernardino County, California Public libraries in California History of Redlands, California California Historical Landmarks {{SanBernardinoCountyCA-NRHP-stub

See also

References

External links