The history of the Lincoln Heights Branch began in 1900 with the establishment of a delivery station at Daly Street and Pasadena Avenue. In 1907, the Daly Street station merged with the East Main Branch to form the East Los Angeles Branch. That branch operated out of rented space at 2603 North Broadway starting in 1913. In 1911, the Los Angeles Public Library received a $210,000 donation from Andrew Carnegie to build six new branch libraries, including the Lincoln Heights Branch. Plans for the new branch in Lincoln Heights were approved in 1915, with a design by Lester H. Hibbard and H.B. Cody. Hibbard and Cody based the design on the Italian Renaissance Villa, Papa Giulia near Rome. The new library opened in August 1916 and was initially known as the Northeast Branch Library. The building is in the form of a quarter circle, with an extension of fourteen feet at each end. It is a combination of Italian Renaissance and Colonial styles. The end extensions are Colonial in design, and the main structure is of Italian Renaissance design. One of the unusual features of the new branch was an outdoor reading garden, an arbor in which benches were placed "for those who wish to read in the open." The new facility also included an auditorium with a stage and seating for 340 persons, and old English oak woodwork and shelves. By 1919, the area had been renamed Lincoln Heights, and the library was designated at the Lincoln Heights Branch. A bas relief of Abraham Lincoln executed by Mrs. William Wendt was presented to the library in 1922 as a gift of the Auxiliary, B. of L.E. In 1975, a community vote in the predominantly Latino area renamed the facility the "Biblioteca del Pueblo de Lincoln Heights."
Historic designations
Carnegie paid for a total of six libraries in Los Angeles, and only three of the Carnegie libraries remain: Lincoln Heights, Cahuenga, and Vermont Square." The Lincoln Heights Branch was designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in 1983. In 1987, the Lincoln Heights Branch and several other branch libraries in Los Angeles were added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of a thematic group submission. The application noted that the branch libraries had been constructed in a variety of period revival styles to house the initial branch library system of the City of Los Angeles. With respect to the Lincoln Heights Branch, the application described the building as being designed in the Classical Revival style with strong Beaux Arts influence. "The building's most unusual feature is its floor plan which is in the shape of a segment of a circle.... The arched entry is centered in the middle and three series of concrete walkways with landings leading up to it. This tall one-story design features high clerestory windows which are inset between pilasters."
Earthquake damage and renovation
The library suffered structural damage in the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, and in March 1990, the branch was closed when it was determined to be out of compliance with earthquake safety requirements. A $3 million renovation project was completed with re-opening of the branch in June 1996. The building underwent seismic reinforcement work and was also renovated and expanded from to. Carpeting and air conditioning were added, and a skylight covered for more than 50 years was uncovered and renovated, lighting the reference area. Computer workstations were also installed, and ceramic works of art by local artist Ricardo Rodriguez Duffy were placed on and above the columns.
