A century ago, the building at 6063 La Jolla Blvd greeted commuters waiting for the trolley into downtown San Diego. Today it houses a renovated community library on the La Jolla United Methodist Church campus, in a building with an unusual past.
The Fireside Library sits inside what was once San Carlos Station, a stop on the rail line, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. The station served residents until 1940.
The building's transit-era design traces back to 1924, when architect Eugene Hoffman designed the San Carlos Station for the San Diego Electric Railway in Spanish Colonial Revival style, modeling it after the 1794 Royal Presidio Chapel in Monterey, according to La Jolla United Methodist Church's own history page. The building did double duty as both a passenger depot and a power substation for the line, which ran a 30-minute commute between downtown La Jolla and downtown San Diego from 1924 until streetcar service ended in 1940, per the same account.
From Streetcar Stop to Church Campus
After the trolleys stopped running, the station took on a new role. The adjacent Fine Arts and Administration Building housed La Plaza Restaurant and El Toro Bar, according to the church's history. The restaurant later became a worship and fellowship hall.
The congregation itself was founded in 1953. The church's historical account says it bought the San Carlos building in 1954, dedicated its first chapel there on February 12, 1956, and remodeled the adjoining restaurant and bar facilities in 1959.
A Library Born in 1985, Renovated for a New Generation
The Fireside Library was established in 1985 and lends books to church members and Nursery School families, according to the San Diego History Center. That institution has recognized the former San Carlos Station as San Diego County's most unusual railroad station conversion, noting it stands as the last physical remnant of the San Diego Electric Railway's power substations.
The recent renovation was designed to preserve and enhance the library's historic feel, the Union-Tribune reports. The library serves church members and Nursery School families.
The Library and Nursery School
The nursery school has a listed capacity of 90 children, according to DaycareAlert.
For a building that has served as a rail depot, a substation and a chapel, the library adds one more chapter to a site that has tracked nearly a century of change along La Jolla Boulevard. The space now houses bookshelves.
